Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has met with a Chinese vice premier in a bid to strengthen relations in the face of criticism from the West over the kingdom's human rights record and its war in Yemen.

Prince Mohammed held bilateral talks on Friday with Han Zheng at the Great Hall of the People before presiding at a China-Saudi cooperation forum and accompanying signing ceremony.

Read: Saudi crown prince in China on latest stop of Asian tour

The prince meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping later on Friday, highlighting Saudi Arabia's importance as one of China's top oil suppliers and a market for its exports, including military drones.

The crown prince's trip comes five months after he came under intense pressure in the US and elsewhere following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.