China’s President Xi Jinping told Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday that Beijing was willing to push its strategic partnership with Riyadh ‘to a new level’, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.

In a phone call, the two leaders discussed boosting cooperation in energy, trade and technology, Xinhua added.

China’s crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia, its top supplier rose 8.8. percent in March from a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data released earlier on Tuesday.

Describing China as a ‘trusted brother’, the Crown Prince said Saudi Arabia was willing to promote a ‘strategic link – up’ between its Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economic away from oil and Xi’s signature Belt and Road trade and infrastructure initiative, according to Xinhua.