More importantly, what is urgently

More importantly, what is urgently needed is a binding Code of Conduct (CoC) to replace the voluntary 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC). In talks between China and ASEAN this week, Beijing agreed again to speed up consultations on a CoC, but in practice it is unlikely to do so, at least until it has completed its near-term plan, which may include establishing an Air Defense Identification Zone in the South China Sea and creating the infrastructure to enforce it.