Zhang said both China and the Middle East are victims of terrorism and important participants in international counter-terrorism cooperation.
"We are ready to jointly address the challenge of terrorism," the vice foreign minister said.
In the past few years, China has stepped up its efforts to mediate touchy issues in the Middle East and played a unique role in resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, the South Sudan issue and the Yemen crisis.
"Xi's visit to the three countries shows that China has accumulated diplomatic resources and political wisdom (in addressing these issues)," Bai Lianlei said.
China insists that promoting development is fundamental to realizing peace and stability in the region. China has firmly supported all countries in the region to explore their development paths according to their own national conditions. China is opposed to double standards on anti-terrorism and in connecting terrorism with specific religious and ethnic issues.
China now has more than 1,700 peace-keeping personnel in the Middle East, accounting for more than half the number the country has sent abroad for global peace-keeping missions.
SEIZING OPPORTUNITY
Xi's visit will help plan pragmatic cooperation with the three countries and bring results. According to Vice Foreign Minister Zhang, cooperative projects are likely to emerge in energy, infrastructure, trade and investment, nuclear energy, space and satellites, new energy, science, technology, education and people-to-people cooperation.
Financial cooperation will also become an important point of cooperation between China and the three countries, Zhang said.
Xi's visit to Saudi Arabia will help lift bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. He and King Salman will jointly witness the signing of a series of cooperative documents and plan for the growth of bilateral ties for the next decade.
"The Belt and Road Initiative that President Xi put forward has received an enthusiastic response from Middle East countries," Vice Foreign Minister Zhang said.
Zhang said China-Iran relations are facing major opportunities for growth as Iran greatly improves its interactions with the international community. He said the two countries will sign a series of cooperative documents during Xi's milestone visit to Tehran.
