As Nancy Pelosi approaches the disputed island, Taiwan’s tallest building flashed an LED message thanking her for her visit, risking the wrath of Beijing.
After landing in Singapore to begin her Asia tour, Pelosi is expected to arrive in Taipei on Tuesday evening.
She will meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during this visit.
Despite China’s alleged aggression, dozens of supporters held welcome banners outside the hotel where the US House speaker is supposed to be staying in Taipei.
In anticipation of Pelosi’s planned visit, the Taipei 101 skyscraper was also lit up with the slogans “Taiwan loves the United States” and “Welcome to Taiwan, President Pelosi.”
At 10:11 a.m. Eastern Time, tracking service Flighttradar24 verified that Pelosi’s plane had flown inside Taiwan airspace.
It comes after the servers of flight tracking website Flighttradar24 were crippled by 300,000 viewers watching Nancy Pelosi’s plane approaching Taiwan.
Although hundreds of thousands of people have sought to trace his flight before the alleged landing, Chinese threats to shoot down his plane have raised concerns.
This morning dedicated flight spotters were unable to use the website as they received the message “something went wrong on our end, please try again”.
“We’re going to make sure she has a safe and secure visit, because it’s our obligation,” White House spokesman John Kirby said yesterday.
And we urge China to recognize this – if it goes – for exactly what it is: nothing new, no change to our policy, and certainly not an unprecedented visit by the Speaker of the House.
This morning, Flightradar24 posted on Twitter that its servers are experiencing unusually high demand due to the extraordinary prolonged tracking interest in SPAR19.
“Some users may temporarily have difficulty using the site. Our staff is trying to restore full functionality for all users as quickly as possible,” the statement read.
Ahead of Pelosi’s planned trip, the People’s Liberation Army of China issued a number of alerts, the most recent of which was sent on Monday and includes video showing a missile strike, approaching aircraft carriers and formations of fighter planes.
State media also issued a stern warning.
After learning that the president would fly to Taipei on Tuesday evening despite Beijing’s threat to shoot down her plane and carry out a military response, the video was shared on WeChat on Monday morning.
Hu Xijin, a prominent figure in China’s state media, sent a terrible message to the top House Democrat, saying, “Let her go to Taiwan.”
However, before you go, pray for a safe journey and ask that she not be remembered in history as the sinner who started the escalating process that led to military friction that escalated into a protracted war in the Taiwan Strait.
Pelosi has the right to travel to Taiwan, according to the White House, which also reaffirmed its one-China stance.
Kirby further pointed out to Beijing that the speaker chooses her own destinations and her visit is not unusual.
We have made it clear from the outset that she will be responsible for her own judgments and that Congress is a separate part of the government.
Given our long history of diplomatic contacts with the PRC, they are aware that our constitution has a separation of powers.
The Speaker of the House has the right to travel to Taiwan, and she has done so before without issue, as have many other members of Congress, including this year. Kirby made a statement in the intro.
The last speaker to visit Taiwan since 1997 would be Pelosi. The most recent visitor was Republican President Newt Gingrich, who urged Pelosi to go.
Chinese officials are concerned that the concept of separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches is not fully understood in their country.
There are concerns that the Chinese will see Pelosi’s trip as an administrative move given that she will be there when Democrats control the House, Senate and White House.
Chinese state media reported last Friday that if Pelosi’s plane entered their airspace while being escorted by a fighter jet, the government would be prepared to shoot it down.
The most recent warning came from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who said Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, which China claims as its own, would have a ‘glaring political impact’. given its position as “No. 1”. 3 U.S. government official »
“Serious interference in China’s internal affairs,” Lijian continued, “would lead to very significant events and consequences.
Zhao said at a routine daily briefing: “We would like to remind the United States that China is watching, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will never stand idly by, and China will take bold responses and counter-measures. powerful measures to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity. ”
Zhao replied when asked what measures the PLA would take, “If she dares to leave, let’s wait and see.”
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