RIYADH: Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Wednesday, during a visit by the Chinese leader to the kingdom, that Saudi Arabia would remain a trusted and reliable energy partner for China, state news agency SPA reported.

Prince Abdulaziz told SPA that cooperation between China, the world's biggest energy consumer, and the kingdom, the worlds' top oil exporter, had helped maintain global oil market stability.

"The kingdom will remain, in this area, a trusted and reliable partner for China," the agency quoted him as saying.

He said Saudi Arabia and China would seek to boost cooperation in energy supply chains by establishing a regional centre in the Gulf Arab state for Chinese factories. (Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous and Maha El Dahan in Dubai; Editing by Toby Chopra)