Chinese jets have intercepted a Canadian maritime patrol aircraft on multiple occasions as it was tracking the North Korean ships.
CBS News was on board as the plane, CP-140 Aurora, specialising in hunting the enemy submarines was intercepted by the Chinese military.
The maritime patrol aircraft was on Operation NEON, a mission tracking North Korean vessels engaged in illegal trade that violates United Nations sanctions.
The pilot on the condition of anonymity, due to his active duty status, said, “There are definitely some boats that look more suspicious than others.”
Operation NEON is part of a multinational effort by several member states of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) putting pressure on North Korea to abandon their program of developing weapons of mass destruction.
Canada's contribution in this effort, known as operation NEON, comes through intelligence gathering. The plane collects evidence in the form of photos and videos of any suspicious activity being carried out in the East China Sea.
The data collected is then shared with the United Nations Enforcement Coordination Cell.
The media team onboard said the Aurora was approached by a Chinese supersonic fighter jet with no worldly response.
The Canadian pilot calmly replied that he’s Canadian, flying in international airspace and carrying out the duty on behalf of all nations.
They said one Chinese jet left after 30 minutes, and another soon appeared, armed with missiles.
The commander of the Canadian Operation Brigadier General Jeff Davis says that their mission continues unabated as long as things remain professional.