There has been considerable commentary of late questioning the seriousness and sustainability of the so-called American pivot or rebalance to Asia. Mush of this breathless handwringing is overwrought, but the public questioning reflects growing anxieties across an increasingly uncertain region and should be taken seriously. There are challenges almost everywhere one looks along with a clear appetite for a sustained and coherent US approach to Asia. The Obama team is intimately aware of these swirling concerns and Barack Obama’s recent visit to Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Malaysia reflects a manifest effort to translate more the rhetoric of the pivot into concrete reality.

Still, more can be done to reassure the region and signal a subtle, sustained, and integrated American approach to Asia. But how?

The next phase in the US approach requires more high-level engagement with China. President Xi Jinping and his foreign policy priorities are still largely ill-defined and more strategic dialogue with the US is of manifest importance. With growing distrust on both sides because of maritime security matters and cyber security practices, it is vital that both countries clearly identify areas of practical co-operation in areas such as military confidence building, development, energy security and disaster relief. China prefers the vague generalities of a new great power relationship mantra to the actual construction of such a new partnership, but the current situation demands building more understanding through the experience of actually working together on mutual pursuits. As part of the conversation, the US should convey a mounting impatience with North Korea – and a growing sentiment to dial up the pressure on Pyongyang – plus a clear preference for steps to improve Sino-Japanese ties.