Will Philippines’ push for seabed rights derail South China Sea code talks?

The Philippines’ latest push for seabed rights in the South China Sea could complicate its efforts as this year’s Asean chair to build regional consensus, analysts say, adding another layer of complexity to already slow-moving talks on a code of conduct for the disputed waterway.On July 28, Manila delivered an official presentation of its partial submission on its extended continental shelf in waters the Philippines considered its territory to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday.In a statement, Rogelio Villanueva Jnr, DFA assistant secretary and spokesman for maritime affairs, said the submission “was a demonstration of the Philippines’ steadfast commitment to the United Nations Charter” and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).