Nguyen Hung Son, president of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, said peace in the South China Sea cannot be taken for granted and must be built through mutual trust, self-restraint and respect for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

David Harland, executive director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, called for low-sensitivity cooperation and stronger regional legal frameworks.

Wu Shicun, chairman of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance and chairman of the Academic Committee of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, proposed four steps: stabilize the situation, manage risks, promote dialogue, and govern cooperatively. He warned against unilateral oil and gas exploration or occupation of uninhabited features, and urged China and the US to adopt conflict-avoidance rules.

Since its launch in 2014, the South China Sea sub-forum has become an annual fixture on the Boao agenda. It aims to build trust and foster maritime cooperation among regional stakeholders.