The leader of Taiwan's main opposition party arrived in China today, making her the party's first incumbent chief to visit the country in a decade.
Cheng Li-wun, who took over as Kuomintang (KMT) chairperson last year, said she "gladly accepted" President Xi Jinping's invitation to visit and hopes to be a "bridge for peace".
Beijing cut off some communications with Taiwan after the Democratic Progressive Party's Tsai Ing-wen became president in May 2016, citing Tsai's refusal to endorse the concept of a single Chinese nation.
Cheng is expected to meet Xi during the later part of her six-day trip, which will span the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing.
Although the KMT has traditionally maintained warm ties with China, Cheng's eagerness to visit contrasts with her predecessors' more cautious approach towards cross-strait relations, some analysts say.
