This is just one example of how China’s actions have heightened tension in the Indo-Pacific and undermined the rules-based international order.
Now, given my role as the Director General for Operations, I want to speak to you about the Canadian Armed Forces operations in the region.
Canada, as a Pacific nation, has a vested interest in ensuring a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. Indeed, the Canadian Armed Forces plays a vital role in promoting Canadian interests and values and contributing to a more peaceful, prosperous world, including in this region. The CAF does this by maintaining a near-persistent presence in the Indo-Pacific, with significant and growing contributions to the region, including the deployment of military ships, aircraft and personnel. These contributions support Canada's participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises with allies and partners, contribute to the multinational efforts that promote peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and advance partnerships through defence diplomacy.
The two major operations the CAF contributes to the Indo-Pacific region are Operation Projection and Operation Neon. Under Operation Projection, the Royal Canadian Navy deploys warships to the Indo-Pacific region to responsibly engage with our allies and partners through joint missions and exercises. This forward naval presence operation also supports defence diplomacy, allowing, therefore, the CAF to conduct port visits, co-operative deployments and international naval exercises with important regional partner nations including Australia, New Zealand and Japan, as well as a host of our Association of Southeast Asian Nation partners. These port visits are a cornerstone of the CAF defence engagement in the region and are critical to strengthening valuable partnerships. They are also a tangible and visible demonstration of Canada's commitment to increasing its presence and activities in the Indo-Pacific.
Following their participation in RIMPAC, a large, multinational, naval exercise in Hawaii in August, Royal Canadian Navy’s Ships Vancouver and Winnipeg continue to operate in the Indo-Pacific, where they will remain deployed until December 2022, on Operation Projection and Operation Neon.
As part of Op Projection, Vancouver and Winnipeg are participating in bilateral and multinational training exercises and engaging with regional militaries and other international security partners in order to reinforce collective defence and promote stability in the region. The two frigates sailed across the Pacific together to Hawaii, and are now sailing in the international waters of the Indo-Pacific region, both independently and as part of cooperative deployments with allied and partner nations.
Following port visits and exercises in the region, HMCS Vancouver sailed through the waters of the Taiwan Strait on September 19, along with the USS Higgins, on their way to Operation Neon's area of operation in the East China Sea. This sail was done in full accordance with international law, including high seas navigation rights as outlined in UNCLOS.
Through Operation Neon now, the CAF deploys ships and aircraft in support of a coordinated, multinational effort to support the implementation of the United Nations Security Council sanctions imposed against North Korea. Both these ships and aircraft, equipped with an array of sensors, are able to identify ship-to-ship transfers being conducted in violation of the United Nations Security Council sanctions imposed against North Korea. This contribution bolsters the integrity of the global sanctions' regime against North Korea, demonstrates Canada's commitment to being a reliable, credible partner to our Pacific partners, and promotes regional security and the rules-based international order.
I would like to share one example which I think demonstrates the value of the Canadian Armed Forces’ contributions to the Government of Canada’s objectives in the Indo-Pacific, and which is truly a success of this mission, and that is the deepening of the Canada-Japan bilateral relationship.
While Canada and Japan have long shared...