The Flight of SPAR19 Also Generates a Formation of Hilarious Memes, But Concerns About Tensions in the Region Are a Serious Matter
Aviation spotters around the world almost crashed the popular flight-tracking website Flightradar24 today, as they monitored a U.S. Air Force plane flying to Taiwan with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi onboard.
China has made it very clear their opposition to any such visits, even warning of serious consequences for doing so. They see Taiwan as their territory, but Taiwan sees itself as a self-governed democracy and independent state. China wants to retake Taiwan, whether by cooperation or force, while President Biden has stated several times that America will intervene to support Taiwan if China invades.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned of “firm and resolute measures” if Pelosi visited Taiwan (see video above of her arrival), stating “the U.S. will be responsible for all of the serious consequences.” Chinese ministry of defense spokesman, Colonel Tan Kefei, threatened “strong measures to thwart any external interference and separatist attempts for Taiwan independence,” while the government’s leading propagandist Hu Xijin said the nation’s military might shoot her down, along with any fighter jet escort accompanying her.
“If Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, the move will seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions in the three China-U.S. joint communiques,” said Chinese Ministry of Defense spokesperson Tan Kefei, adding that a visit would “severely endanger China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Pelosi called their bluff and flew to Taiwan, and over 700,000 users on Flightradar24 watched to see what might happen to the plane, call sign SPAR19. By the time she landed, it was the most tracked live flight in history, according to the website. The overwhelming traffic forced the site to kick some users off, while others were met with screen prompts telling them their wait times were over 20 hours.
“Our teams immediately began efforts to maintain the stability of our services,” said Ian Petchenik, Flightradar24’s Director of Communications. “Due to the volume of users, it was necessary to deploy our waiting room functionality, which meters access for non-subscribers. Shortly after SPAR19 landed, normal access for all users was restored quickly. We continue to make improvements to our systems to provide additional capacity for flights of extreme interest.”
The plane landed at Songshan Airport (TSA) under cover of darkness and without incident (see video above), after flying a circuitous route over Indonesia and up the eastern side of the Philippines to avoid the South China Sea.
China conducted live-fire military exercises near Taiwan last week, after learning of a potential visit by Pelosi.
Pelosi’s visit was never confirmed prior to her arrival. Her visit makes her the highest ranking U.S. government official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. If something ever happened to the President or Vice-President, the U.S. House Speaker is next in line to take over as President.
President Biden has not yet given his support for Pelosi’s visit, only stating that “the Department of Defense thinks it’s not a good idea.”
Speaker Pelosi’s full statement can be read HERE.
