The top American diplomat Rex Tillerson is heading to East Asia, where he'll stop in Japan, South Korea and China.
He's making his first official tour of the region at a time of heightened tension over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.
Donald Trump promised while campaigning for the presidency to get tough on Pyongyang's ally, China.
Now the question is - will Tillerson follow through?
Al Jazeera’s State Department correspondent Patty Culhane reports from Washington DC.
