“It’s a dilemma for the administration,” said former National Security Council senior director for Asia Michael Green. “If they are too passive in their response and Putin gets away with it, that undermines Asian allies’ confidence in American resolve. But if they get completely distracted by it and lessen their focus on Asia, that also undermines Asian allies’ confidence and resolve.”

It’s not just about whether China will invade Taiwan if Ukraine falls to Putin. Signaling to dictators they can crush democracies with impunity is only one way the Ukraine crisis is important for Asia. The region fears that the United States is a declining global power, politically divided beyond repair. There’s skepticism that the Biden team can muster the sustained attention and resources needed to fulfill its pledge of a foreign policy centered around strategic competition with China.

Asia is waiting for Biden to make good on his promises on a range of fronts. The Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific economic strategy has yet to be revealed. Several Asian countries don’t even have U.S. ambassadors. The overwhelming majority of U.S. economic assistance and military aid still goes to governments in the Middle East. The Biden team should mount a diplomatic and economic surge in Asia to restore confidence in the U.S. commitment to the region as soon as possible.