Taipei, Taiwan - Taiwanese Opposition Leader Cheng Li-wun on Monday accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Shanghai and Beijing amid escalating military tensions.

Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Party Chairperson Cheng Li-wun, who took up her position in November, insisted on meeting Xi before making an official visit to the US, triggering criticism from Taipei's political class.

The KMT advocates for a closer relationship and more shared exchanges with China, despite claims by Beijing that Taiwan is part of its sovereign territory.

Cheng announced on Monday that she had "gladly accepted" the invitation to lead a delegation to China, her party said in a statement, confirming an earlier report from Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

According to the statement, Cheng "looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations."

She will also work to further "promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides."

Xinhua said that the delegation would visit the eastern province of Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Beijing from April 7-12, but did not specify if Cheng would meet with Xi, which she has been publicly pushing for.

The meeting would come at a time when tensions between Taipei and Beijing are high, and China is conducting regular military drills in and around the island's airspace. As a result, Washington is pushing for Taiwan to boost its military spending.

Speaking after the announcement, Cheng said that she hoped to prove that "the two sides of the strait are not doomed to war."