Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin departed for a two-day visit to China on Monday, which the Kremlin says is significant, including planned talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Russian government and state media said.

Mishustin is scheduled for a regular heads of government meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in the city of Hangzhou on Monday, and will travel to Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Xi, TASS agency reported, citing the Russian government's press service.

The Kremlin attached "very great" importance to the visit, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, while declining to say whether President Vladimir Putin would send a message to Xi via Mishustin, Interfax agency reported.

Putin and Xi signed a "no limits" partnership in February 2022, just before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Moscow has turned to Beijing to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions, highlighting record bilateral trade, increased settlements in yuan and deepening energy cooperation.

U.S.–China friction over trade and technology under U.S President Donald Trump, which strained relations between Washington and Beijing, have also encouraged both Moscow and Beijing to strengthen cross-border commerce to counter Western pressure.

Mishustin's talks in China were expected to focus on trade and economic ties, transport and industrial cooperation, enhanced energy partnerships and expanded collaboration in advanced technology and agriculture, TASS reported.

On Sunday, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and China's Vice Premier He Lifeng chaired a commission meeting in Ningbo that flagged growth in copper and nickel exports and wider farm-goods access, the Russian government said on its Telegram channel.