NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY will remain to be engaged; the Philippines will still seek to work closely with the US on a number of significant security and economic issues. 2. China With China’s rise as the world’s second largest economy, surpassing Japan, attention has focused towards its direction due to its huge population, large territory and vast natural resources, rapid industrial and technological breakthroughs, and unparalleled economic growth. The rise of China generates policy concerns not only among developed countries such as the US, Japan and Korea, but also among the ASEAN nations due to socio-cultural interactions, significant trade and investments, as well as territorial claims in the WPS. China’s more active presence in the WPS is motivated by growing need for food sources, increasing demand for energy resources, and renewed stirrings of nationalism. 3. ASEAN There are existing border disputes among the member-states of ASEAN, but the organization has consistently upheld the principles of consultation and consensus as its norm in resolving inter-states misunderstanding and conflicts. ASEAN is building a Political-Security Community, an Economic Community and a Socio-Cultural Community to promote greater regional integration and to strengthen ASEAN centrality in the context of the wider Asia- Pacific region. The ASEAN as a regional bloc had pursued greater regional cooperation on common problems such as combating piracy, smuggling, human trafficking, terrorism and other transnational crimes. ASEAN centrality is important as it will allow the region to manage the impacts of geo-political rivalries among the great powers. 4. Japan Japan remains as an economic power house in Asia and the new security challenges confronting it induce Tokyo to seek closer security relations with other regional states. Their pacifist constitution is a product of its experience in World War II as well as the continuing security umbrella the US has been providing it. However, new security challenges in the region including territorial disputes in the Senkaku Islands provide a strong incentive for Japan to upgrade its defensive capabilities as well as seek closer security relations with other regional states. Japan has entered into a strengthened strategic partnership with the Philippines aimed at boosting political, security and defense ties and cooperation between the two countries. 14|Page