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

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).

Article 76 of the convention provides the basis for coastal states such as the Philippines to establish the outer limits of their continental shelf, including the seabed and subsoil of submarine areas extending beyond 200 nautical miles (370km) but not more than 350 nautical miles from their baselines.

Such submissions concern seabed and subsoil rights rather than sovereignty over disputed islands or waters, and the UN commission’s role is to assess the scientific and technical basis of a claim before making recommendations.

“The presentation further underscored that the submission was part of the country’s responsibility to secure a peaceful South China Sea through the rule of law in order to sustain the livelihoods of Filipinos, foster trade, protect marine biodiversity, and unite coastal and littoral States,” the DFA said in its statement.