BEIJING- China's President Xi Jinping told Saudi 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% 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 economy away from oil and Xi's signature Belt and Road trade and infrastructure initiative, according to Xinhua.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; writing by Tom Daly; Editing by Andrew Heavens) ((tom.daly@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 5669 2119;))