For the ASEAN Community to live in peace, stability, and prosperity, ASEAN’s Member States and all the claimants must extend sincere efforts to contribute in every possible way so as to ensure harmony in the South China Sea. This means, again, exercising restraint, undertaking confidence building measures, and formalizing a binding Code of Conduct at the soonest possible time. With these steps in place, the region can look forward to a subsequent area of cooperation, extending even to a new treaty over the entirety of the South China Sea.

Southeast Asia's aspirations for the South China Sea. (2017, April 26). BusinessWorld, p. S1/6.