Xi calls for closer ties with Saudi Arabia

Leader urges stronger cooperation in meeting with crown prince

China and Saudi Arabia - Beijing's biggest foreign source of crude oil - promised on Thursday to forge a stronger relationship and expand their cooperation beyond the traditional field of energy.

"We should keep energy cooperation as a pillar and expand high-tech cooperation in areas like aviation, space and new energy and forge a closer partnership," President Xi Jinping told visiting Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People.