Taiwan's largest opposition party says its deputy head will visit China from Monday.

The Kuomintang, or KMT, announced that vice chairman Andrew Hsia will make a seven-day trip to Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and elsewhere in China. He plans to exchange Lunar New Year greetings with Taiwanese businesspeople.

The KMT said no meeting has been scheduled between Hsia and Chinese government officials, but it does not rule out the possibility.

The party suggested that should such a meeting take place, Hsia would express his condolences to the Chinese victims of a deadly boat incident near the Kinmen Islands, which are effectively controlled by Taiwan.

Two Chinese fishers died on February 14 after their boat capsized while being pursued by the Taiwanese coast guard. Chinese authorities said this was a malicious incident and denounced the administration of the Democratic Progressive Party.

The KMT also indicated that Hsia would tell Chinese officials that a majority of Taiwanese people do not want relations between the two sides to further deteriorate.

The KMT criticized the DPP administration, saying the boat incident revealed that tensions could escalate if an unexpected event happens amid the lack of dialogue across the Taiwan Strait.

The KMT expressed its intention to actively work to ease the situation as the largest opposition party.

Hsia's visit to China will come before Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te takes office in May.

Observers are waiting to see how Beijing will treat the vice chairman of the KMT, which won the largest number of seats in last month's parliamentary election.