Saudi Arabia's King Salman is in Beijing for an official visit that will last until Friday. He came at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. 

Salman is the 25th son of the desert kingdom's founder, Abdulaziz bin Saud. In 1963, Salman became governor of the Riyadh Province, a post he held for nearly five decades. In June 2012, he was appointed crown prince. He also held the post of deputy prime minister while serving as defense minister. On January 23, 2015, Salman, then 79, became the kingdom's seventh ruler. 

During his three days in Beijing, Salman is expected to hold meetings on the oil industry and on China's Belt and Road initiative. The monarch began his Asia Pacific tour late last month to cement economic ties in the region. He was in Japan before heading to China.