Vice President Joe Biden will visit several Asian countries this week as tensions between China and Japan rise over contentious airspace. Less than two weeks ago, China declared claim over a large section of airspace over the East China Sea that is also claimed by Japan.

According to U.S. officials, the vice president will use his trip to encourage dialogue between the two countries. During a briefing last week, a senior Obama administration official said Biden would also “make the broader point that there is an emerging pattern of behavior by China that is unsettling to China’s own neighbors.”

The Obama administration made it clear that, like Japan, it does not recognize China’s new air defense zone claim nor its demand to be notified of plans by jets from other nations to fly into the area, CNN reported. On Monday, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman also said that the U.S. position is separate from any made by U.S.-based airlines to comply with the demands.

The visit by the vice president is just the latest show of a U.S. political and military shift to Asia.

Disputes between America’s Asian allies, including Japan, South Korea and China, have caused the Obama administration to pay special attention to the area. Along with the newly claimed airspace, China and Japan have long disputed a set of small, uninhabited islands in the East China Sea called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China.

According to a senior administration official, Biden’s visit will stress that “the United States has a rock-solid commitment to our allies.” This commitment includes the strong military presence in Japan and a mutual defense treaty between the two countries that includes the disputed islands.

President Obama’s administration has prioritized a shift away from the Middle East to Asia, although it has hardly been a smooth transition. Increasing conflicts in the Middle East have retained the president’s attention in the area. Issues at home, such as the government shutdown in October, have also disrupted the administration’s focus on the region.

In October, the president was forced to cancel a trip to four Asian countries due to the shutdown. He was replaced by Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who called a refocus on Asia a “priority.”

While the refocus on the area may be based on diplomacy and trade, the military’s presence is not to be forgotten. According to the New York Times, Obama has cut military spending in most areas of the world, but has left spending in Asia largely unchanged. In fact, the Pentagon plans to deploy 60 percent of its warships to the Pacific and 40 percent to the Atlantic by 2020.

The vice president’s visit this week will also serve to remind countries in the region of American interest there. Last week, a senior administration official told reporters, “The message is clear and simple: The United States is a resident Pacific power, we’re here to stay, and we’re actively engaged on the full spectrum of issues in the region.”

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