Philippines, China Trade Accusations over South China Sea Collision

This frame grab taken from video footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) via AFPTV on December 9, 2023 shows a Chinese Coast Guard ship (R) using a water cannon on a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. (Photo by Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP)
This frame grab taken from video footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) via AFPTV on December 9, 2023 shows a Chinese Coast Guard ship (R) using a water cannon on a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. (Photo by Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP)
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Philippines, China Trade Accusations over South China Sea Collision

This frame grab taken from video footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) via AFPTV on December 9, 2023 shows a Chinese Coast Guard ship (R) using a water cannon on a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. (Photo by Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP)
This frame grab taken from video footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) via AFPTV on December 9, 2023 shows a Chinese Coast Guard ship (R) using a water cannon on a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. (Photo by Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP)

The Philippines and China traded accusations on Sunday over a collision of their vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea as tensions over claims in the vital waterway escalate.
The Philippine coast guard accused China of firing water cannons and ramming resupply vessels and a coast guard ship, causing "serious engine damage" to one, while China's coast guard said the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship, Reuters said.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis.
Beijing and Manila have been playing cat-and-mouse around the uninhabited Second Thomas Shoal in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone when the Philippines deploys resupply missions for Filipino soldiers living aboard an aging warship deliberately run aground in 1999 to protect Manila's maritime claims.
The shoal is part of what are known internationally as the Spratly Islands.
On Saturday, the Philippines accused China of "illegal and aggressive actions" by China for firing water cannon at a civilian-operated government fishing vessel, a move Beijing called legitimate "control measures".
In Sunday's incident, China's coast guard said in a statement that two Philippine vessels, ignoring repeated warnings, had "illegally entered the waters adjacent to Ren'ai Reef in the Nansha Islands without the approval of the Chinese government."
It said the Unaizah Mae 1 "made an unprofessional and dangerous sudden turn, intentionally ramming into China Coast Guard vessel 21556." It said the Philippine side bore full responsibility.
Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela posted on the social media platform X that the "M/L Kalayaan suffered serious engine damage. Contrary to China Coast Guard disinformation, UM1 rammed by CCG vessel."
A Philippine government task force condemned "China's latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers against a legitimate and routine" resupply mission. China's action "puts into question and significant doubt the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue", it said in a statement.
The National Task Force-West Philippine Sea said a coast guard ship was towing the Kalayaan back to Palawan province and that coast guard vessel BRP Cabra had "suffered damage to its mast after being directly targeted by the full strength of the water cannon".
US Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson posted on X that China's "aggression undermines regional stability in defiance of a free and open Indo-Pacific".
Around 200 Philippine fishermen, youth leaders and civil society groups have joined a Christmas mission to the area, organized by the Atin Ito ("This is ours") a civilian-led network asserting the country's rights in the South China Sea.
Ten fishing boats have decided to pull out as they "erred on the side of caution", the group said on Sunday.



IAEA Chief Says Time Running Out to Reach Iran Nuclear Deal

 Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), attends a joint media briefing with Director General of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom following their talks in Moscow on February 7, 2025. (AFP)
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), attends a joint media briefing with Director General of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom following their talks in Moscow on February 7, 2025. (AFP)
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IAEA Chief Says Time Running Out to Reach Iran Nuclear Deal

 Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), attends a joint media briefing with Director General of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom following their talks in Moscow on February 7, 2025. (AFP)
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), attends a joint media briefing with Director General of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom following their talks in Moscow on February 7, 2025. (AFP)

Time is running out to secure an accord to rein in Iran's nuclear program as Tehran continues to accelerate its enrichment of uranium to near weapons grade, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Friday.

Iran has stepped up nuclear work since 2019, after US President Donald Trump in his first term abandoned a 2015 agreement reached under predecessor Barack Obama.

With nuclear diplomacy stalled, the spotlight has turned on Trump and how he intends to handle the dossier.

So far there has been little clear policy on the issue, and Iran has continued to advance its nuclear program, accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% of weapons grade.

"I think we are running out of time, but it doesn't mean that we can't do it fast," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Grossi said in an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

"The IAEA is there and has all the information and elements, but when it comes to the policy it's up to the countries."

Grossi said Iran was in the process of increasing around sevenfold its monthly production of uranium enriched to up to 60%.

He said Iran would likely have about 250 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% by the time of the agency's next report in the coming weeks.

That is enough in principle, if enriched further, for six nuclear bombs, according to an IAEA yardstick

"It's clearly a sign that should be taken very seriously. So this is why I believe that we shouldn't be wasting more time. I hope that we can refocus on Iran," he said.

IAEA 'EAGERLY' AWAITS ENVOY'S APPOINTMENT

Highlighting the challenges, Trump has yet to appoint a dedicated team or envoy to handle the Iran dossier, leaving allies, including Britain, France and Germany, who are part of the 2015 deal, unclear on how to proceed.

The European powers had hoped to convince Iran to begin negotiating new restrictions on its nuclear activities with a view to having a deal by the summer.

That would give enough time to implement new limits on Iran's program and lift sanctions before the 2015 accord expires in October 2025.

"We are eagerly waiting for a US envoy on Iran to be appointed so we can start exchanging views and seeing what the next steps will be," Grossi said. "We are in contact, but we haven't been able to have a political conversation with someone who is implementing the policies of the president."

At the request of the Europeans, the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution in November ordering Iran to urgently improve cooperation with the agency and requesting a "comprehensive" report by spring aimed at pressuring Iran into fresh nuclear talks.

Asked whether the report could be ready by the next board meeting in March, Grossi said there would be "very little added value" to what the agency had already reported and that it would be better once there had been some progress with Iran.

"It will come. It could be by March, but most likely a bit later," Grossi said.