Kuomintang chairwoman Cheng Li-wun's trip comes two months after her "peace" visit to Beijing, where she met Chinese President Xi Jinping -- the first such meeting in a decade -- and weeks after US President Donald Trump's summit with Xi in the Chinese capital.

It also comes after the KMT recently thwarted the Taiwanese government's plan to spend nearly $40 billion on critical weapons, including US arms and domestically produced drones.

Speaking to reporters before departing for the United States, Cheng said she hopes her party can play a key role in regional peace efforts and "gain deeper trust from the US".

"Only the KMT is truly serious and responsible in taking on the most important role of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Cheng told a press conference.

Cheng has rocked Taiwanese politics since her unexpected rise to the top of the party last year and drawn criticism for being too pro-China.

The KMT has long advocated closer relations with China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.

But Cheng's cross-strait rhetoric has gone beyond the comfort zone of many people in her own party and caused unease among foreign partners, including Washington.