A two-day meeting between leaders from the US and Southeast Asian Nations has just concluded in California. US President Barack Obama said they discussed the need to ease tensions in the South China Sea, and agreed that any territorial disputes there should be resolved peacefully and through legal means. A joint statement was also released, which reiterated the broad key principles of U.S.-ASEAN cooperation. These include "mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a shared commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes."