Eastern China Sea – Above the deep blue waters of the East China Sea, a Canadian military plane examines the large expanse below. The CP-140 Aurora, a maritime patrol plane operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force, is designed mainly to chase away enemy submarines-but this team is on a different mission: the monitoring of North Korean ships engaged in an illicit trade which violates the United Nations sanctions.
“There are certainly boats that seem more suspicious than others,” said the captain currently deployed on the operation at CBS News while piloting the plane. CBS News does not use its name because the pilot is still in active service.
Operating in international airspace on international waters, the mission – known as the NEON Operation – brings the plane closer to Chinese territory, often triggering a dramatic response from Beijing, which intercepted the Aurora several times during its mission while a new CBS team is on board.
Operation Neon is Canada’s contribution to a coordinated multinational effort to support the implementation of the United North Korea’s sanctions for the North Korea, while UN Member States seek to put Pyongyang to abandon its development programs of weapons of mass destruction.
Neon is an information collection mission – they take photos, videos and suspicious ships at the eastern China Sea, and then share information with the United Nations Coordination Coordination Unit.
The mission is based on Kadena air base in Japan – the largest American air force in the Asia -Pacific region – known as the “Key of the Pacific” because of its strategic importance.
During the mission, a Chinese supersonic fighter appears and approaches the Air Force Canadian plane.
A mistake of the Canadian presence, the Chinese pilot greets the captain of Aurora, who calmly answers: “I am a Canadian plane operating in international airspace, exercising the functions of all nations.”
CBS News
There is no verbal response from the Chinese, but the Chinese hunter jets the shade of the Aurora for about 30 minutes.
“As long as things remain professional and safe, this mission continues tirelessly,” CBS News General Jeff Davis, who commands the Canadian operation, told CBS.
Shortly after, the Chinese fighter plane disappeared, but it is only a temporary stop of Chinese actions. A few hours later, another jet appeared, this one wearing missiles. All members of the crew move in position to document the second interception.
The jet, flying at only four wing lengths – less than 200 feet – is close that any Chinese fighter came to the Aurora throughout his mission.
China has been the economic buoy of North Korea since international sanctions were imposed in Pyongyang in 2006, after its first nuclear test.
But the sanctions clearly did not have the desired effect. Russia and China were once opposed to the nuclear development of North Korea, but No more.
Sergei Bobylev / AP 
China was vital Economic rescue buoy for the Kim diet in Pyongyang, supporting the economy of North Korea. More recently, Russia has also played a big role, giving the North Oil in exchange for ammunition and troops deployed in support of The Russia War against Ukraine.
The Kim dynasty has long hoped to force the world to accept North Korea as a nuclear energy. It is currently estimated at around 50 nuclear weapons and is about to develop a long -range missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead on the American continent.
Towards the end of August, while meeting the new president of South Korea, President Trump said he wanted Another meeting With Kim Jong one. They met three times during Mr. Trump’s first term, but the summits did not obtain any results to denucleize North Korea.
Kim said since he was open in pursuit of dialogue that if Mr. Trump abandons “the absurd obsession of his government to denuclearization”.
Although these Chinese interceptions of the international mission of sanctions in terms of implementation on the East China Sea are expected, they undeniably increase the risks for the Canadian crew.
“This can add stress factors,” the Canadian pilot told CBS News. “Sometimes they try to maneuver, but we try to mitigate the best we can and protect the plane.”
After nine hours of information gathering, the Aurora finally returns to the base – Complete Mission, in the most trying circumstances.
