The US is reversing position on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Part of a deal?

english.peopledaily.com.cn...

The U.S. is the only major nation that has refused to sign the treaty, which has been endorsed by 160 countries and the European Union. The hearing was the first one on the treaty in four years, and the Obama administration and the U.S. Armed Forces are now pushing Congress to sign it.

The reason why the U.S. once refused to sign the treaty is that the treaty's provisions will limit the free navigational rights of U.S. warships in other countries' exclusive economic zones.

Sounds like some diplomatic backpedaling.

IMO the free navigation rights of our warships clearly exceeds any claimed additional credibility "as we push back against excessive maritime claims and illegal restrictions on our warships or commercial vessels."

Was this part of an unrevealed deal? In exchange for what?