The historic visit will mark the first time a KMT leader has set foot on mainland soil since 1949
The leader of Taiwan's biggest opposition party will lead a 70-strong delegation to the mainland today for the highest-level exchange between the two sides of the strait since 1949.
The visit by Lien Chan - who will be joined by three party vice-chairmen and other senior officials - will mark the first time a leader of the Kuomintang has set foot on mainland soil in 56 years.
President Hu Jintao invited Mr Lien and People First Party chairman James Soong Chu-yu in an attempt to reach out to the Taiwanese opposition parties. Mr Lien is scheduled to hold talks with Mr Hu, who is also Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary, on Friday.
Mr Lien said last night that the history of contemporary China made him sad.
'The KMT and CCP had bitter conflicts that eventually led to a civil war,' he said, but added it was time to adopt a new attitude to cross-strait relations.
'Given the political and economic developments on the mainland over the years, we shouldn't remain stuck in the mindset of the 1930s, 1950s or even 1980s [when handling cross-strait issues]', he said.