Cheng, chair of the Kuomintang (KMT), is scheduled to visit China from April 7 to 12 and may meet Xi Jinping, though Beijing has not confirmed such talks. Speaking before departure in Taipei, she said the trip aimed to reduce tensions and prevent conflict, calling it a “historic journey for peace.

”The visit comes amid heightened military pressure from China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to assert control. Beijing has also refused formal engagement with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, labeling him a separatist.

Taiwanese officials said Chinese naval activity around the island remains elevated. Kuan Bi-ling reported multiple warships positioned off Taiwan’s coasts, including deployments to the east, north, northwest and southwest, underscoring what authorities described as sustained military pressure.

Separately, Chiu Chui-cheng urged Beijing to engage with Taiwan’s elected government and called on Cheng to press Chinese authorities to halt military activities, including air and naval operations near the island.

The trip takes place ahead of a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi in Beijing, where Taiwan is expected to feature among key issues alongside trade.Cheng’s itinerary includes stops in Shanghai and Nanjing, where she is expected to visit the mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China.

The visit marks the first by a KMT leader to China in a decade, reflecting renewed political outreach despite ongoing cross-strait tensions.

Curtis, speaking alongside fellow lawmakers including Jeanne Shaheen, said Taiwan should draw lessons from Hong Kong, where Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 following unrest, a move critics say curtailed freedoms.

The visit comes as President Lai Ching-te seeks approval for an additional $40 billion in defence spending, a proposal backed by Washington but currently stalled in the opposition-controlled parliament.

Taiwan’s government says the funding is necessary to strengthen deterrence against China, which claims the island as its territory. Opposition parties have expressed support in principle for defence measures but have resisted approving what they describe as open-ended commitments.

Curtis said Taiwan risked misjudging Beijing’s intentions if it ignored the trajectory of Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 under a framework guaranteeing autonomy.“My biggest worry for Taiwan is that they underestimate the intentions of China,” Curtis said, urging vigilance despite aspirations for peace.

China has simultaneously stepped up engagement with Taiwan’s opposition. Beijing has invited Cheng Li-wun, leader of the Kuomintang, to visit, a trip she has described as a “peace mission.”

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said China’s objective of annexation had not changed and cautioned against what it called “illusions” about peace, reflecting ongoing tensions across the Taiwan Strait.