The leader of Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), will visit China in April, according to an invitation extended by Chinese President Xi Jinping. This trip is scheduled a month before U.S. President Donald Trump’s summit with Beijing. Former lawmaker Cheng Li-wun won election as KMT chairwoman in October and has signaled a swing towards closer ties with Beijing than her predecessor Eric Chu. The visit comes after China viewed Taiwan as its own territory, refusing to speak to the government of President Lai Ching-te.

China regularly welcomes senior KMT officials but refuses to interact with the government of President Lai Ching-te, who it calls a “separatist”. Cheng Li-wun had previously stated that she planned on visiting China. In a statement on Monday, the KMT said Cheng was grateful for the invitation and had gladly accepted it.

“We hope April’s visit marks the beginning of the new spring of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait,” Cheng told reporters in Taipei. “We will work hard for cross-strait peace and stability, making positive efforts, and let the whole world feel at ease.” Chinese state news agency Xinhua said that Cheng would visit from April 7 to 12 and go to Beijing, Shanghai and the eastern province of Jiangsu.

“Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country,” Hsu Kuo-yung, Secretary-General of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, told reporters in Taipei. “I also ask her to make one thing especially clear: In Taiwan, we elect our own president.” The announcement comes at a time when Lai’s government is trying to navigate complex relationships with Beijing and the U.S.

The visit by Cheng Li-wun marks an unusual step for the KMT, which has historically been closer to Taiwan’s pro-independence stance. As KMT chairwoman, she will play a key role in shaping the party’s position on cross-strait relations.