Jordan's King Abdullah II is set to begin a visit to China on Tuesday as Amman seeks to expand economic ties with Beijing, even as it balances its growing relationship with the country against its longstanding alliance with Washington.

What happened: According to Jordan’s official news agency, Petra, King Abdullah will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. He will also meet with representatives of leading Chinese companies to discuss opportunities to expand economic cooperation. 

King Abdullah will be accompanied by an economic ministerial delegation, and the two governments are expected “to sign a number of cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding in various fields,” Petra reported. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference on Monday that King Abdullah is also expected to visit Shanghai and Shenzhen during his trip, his ninth visit to China since becoming king in 1999. His last visit to the country was more than 10 years ago, in 2015.