Taiwan's opposition leader Cheng Li-wun arrived in mainland China on Tuesday for a six-day visit described by her Kuomintang party as a "peace mission." The chairwoman of the Nationalist Party, or KMT, flew into Shanghai's Hongqiao airport before taking a high-speed train to Nanjing under tight security. Her itinerary includes stops in Jiangsu province, Shanghai, and Beijing through April 12.

Cheng, who assumed KMT leadership in November 2025, gladly accepted Xi's invitation earlier this year, marking the first such trip by a sitting KMT chair in a decade. Speaking to reporters in Taipei before departure, she stressed the need to seize every opportunity to avert war across the Taiwan Strait. "If you truly love Taiwan, you will seize even the slightest chance... to keep Taiwan from being ravaged by war," she said. She hopes to meet Xi during the Beijing leg starting Thursday and position herself as a "bridge for peace."

The visit comes amid heightened military tensions, with Chinese warships spotted near Taiwan and Beijing refusing talks with President Lai Ching-te, whom it labels a separatist. China views Taiwan as its territory and has ramped up reunification rhetoric, including symbolic gestures during recent holidays. Lai, speaking at a memorial in Taipei, reaffirmed openness to dialogue but insisted Taiwan is not part of the People's Republic of China and values its democratic way of life.

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party criticized the trip as subservient to Beijing, accusing China of disrupting peace through near-daily warplane incursions and naval patrols. Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng urged Cheng to demand an end to military harassment during her meetings. The KMT, which controls parliament alongside allies, has stalled a proposed $40 billion defense spending increase, arguing it duplicates existing budgets amid delays in U.S. arms deliveries.

Cheng, once a pro-independence student activist in the 1990s, now advocates embracing Taiwan's Chinese heritage to avoid conflict like Ukraine. She insists engagement with Beijing complements U.S. ties and does not undermine them. The timing precedes a May summit between Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing, where Taiwan arms sales are expected to feature.

Analysts see the trip as Cheng bolstering KMT's cross-strait role ahead of local elections, while Beijing aims to highlight opposition channels and pressure the DPP government. China has yet to confirm any Xi meeting.