Sending Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Burma, the first such visit in more than a half-century to this isolated Asian country, is one indication of a welcome shift in U.S. foreign policy.

As this nation winds down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Clinton has said, "Our challenge now is to build a web of partnerships and institutions across the Pacific that is as durable and as consistent with American interests and values as the web we have built across the Atlantic."

The United States is working systematically to build a "more mature security and economic architecture" in "every country and corner" of the Asia-Pacific region.

Engagement with the democracy movement and the military regime in Burma is an important step in this process. Called Myanmar by its dictators, the country borders India and China.

The first aim is "greater focus on trade and economic openness." To that end, President Barack Obama hosted a summit in Honolulu in mid-November. Canada, Japan and Mexico expressed interest in joining the United States, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam in dropping trade barriers.

The issue involves more than exports and jobs. The United States traditionally has patrolled the Pacific to keep sea lanes open for commerce. With new disputes in the region, the United States now seeks "a more geographically distributed, operationally resilient and politically sustainable force posture."

To that end, the United States is strengthening treaty alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines and Thailand. We have more than 50,000 troops in Japan and South Korea. We are increasing ship visits to the Philippines. We also are doing joint training with Indonesian special forces and will be deploying specialized combat ships to Singapore.

In the backdrop, of course, are regional concerns about China, which has become aggressive in asserting territorial claims in the energy- and fish-rich South China Sea. Its military spending has tripled since the 1990s, building submarines, surface ships and anti-ship ballistic missiles. It has launched its first aircraft carrier.

So President Obama's announcement in mid-November that he would send a small contingent of U.S. Marines to Australian bases – starting with 250 next year and expanding to a full air-ground task force of 2,500 – is not just symbolic. With U.S. bases in Japan, Korea and Guam within range of Chinese missiles, the United States seeks staging areas beyond striking range.

California is part of the Pacific Rim. This state is well-placed to rank high in exports of manufacturing and services – and has a big stake in open sea lanes for commerce. The Obama administration's Asia-Pacific focus is an agenda Californians should embrace.

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