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Taiwan’s main opposition leader has arrived in China in an effort to promote talks with Chinese officials amid tensions over Taiwan’s sovereignty.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: China has consistently vowed to reunify with Taiwan, by military force if necessary, because it views Taiwan as a breakaway territory. A few years back, Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly ordered his military to be ready for a potential invasion by 2027. Since then, China has ramped up its military drills and operations around Taiwan, conducting large-scale exercises that simulate blockades, amphibious assaults, and precision strikes on key infrastructure. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would have massive consequences for the world, as Taiwan is considered the “semiconductor capital” of the world. Many US lawmakers and top military officials serving under both Republican and Democratic administrations have warned that if China were to gain control of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, it would pose a direct national security threat, as China could weaponize supply chains. Because of this, the US has been selling Taiwan a significant amount of military equipment in an effort to deter China.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, Cheng Li-wun (who leads Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), a party that traditionally favors closer ties with Beijing) traveled to China on what she described as a “journey for peace,” with plans to meet Xi Jinping. While a formal meeting had not been fully confirmed at the time of reporting, Cheng said she had “gladly accepted” Xi’s invitation and hoped to act as a “bridge for peace,” stressing that “if you truly love Taiwan, you will seize every possible opportunity to keep Taiwan from being ravaged by war.”

During her visit, Cheng traveled to Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing. She called for “reconciliation and unity across the Strait,” while also praising China’s development and framing dialogue as a way to reduce tensions. Her outreach comes as the KMT has been using its control in parliament to hold up a roughly $40 billion defense plan proposed by the current government, arguing that engagement with China can be more effective than spending money on deterrence.

Chinese officials and state media welcomed Cheng’s visit as a positive step, framing it as a sign that communication between the two sides could start picking back up after being largely frozen for years.

Chinese state media said the trip “strongly responds to the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan calling for peace, development, exchanges and cooperation,” and added that “dialogue rather than confrontation, and exchange rather than isolation, remains a viable path.”

There’s been no comment from the Taiwanese government.