Full coverage: The South China Sea Issue

Here's some immediate reaction to Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo's keynote speech.

"Well, I think it's great that both sides emphasize that although the South China Sea is a contentious issue, that the greater relations are really the more important thing and that those are fairly stable, and both sides realize that we need to find ways to address and manage the problems of the South China Sea," said Brendan S. Mulvaney, US Naval Academy. 

"But that we shouldn't let them natively impact the great relations. So I think it's very important from both Mr. Dai and, both sides. I think that's good."