TAIPEI?A Chinese military singer attached to an elite unit in charge of missiles and nuclear weapons will perform in Taiwan this week, she said on her blog Wednesday.

"I hope to deepen cultural and artistic exchanges across the Taiwan Strait," said Chen Sisi, of the Second Artillery Corps under the People's Liberation Army.

The performance by Chen, immensely popular on the mainland for her folk songs, will take place in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in the heart of Taipei on Saturday, according to the website operated by the venue.

Chen's status as a member of the armed forces made her application for an entry permit to Taiwan "much more complicated" and it took nearly a year to finalize preparations for her trip, she told Taiwan's TVBS news channel.

Born in 1976, Chen reached a global audience when she performed in last year's Beijing Olympics closing ceremony.

A visit of this kind would likely have been impossible before Beijing-friendly Ma Ying-jeou became president here last year, leading to a drastic improvement in ties.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war and have been governed separately ever since, but Beijing still sees the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification.