The Biden administration has vowed to adopt an approach to foreign policy that differs strategically and tactically from the previous Trump administration by placing democratic values, global engagement and coordination with allies and partners at the center of U.S. foreign policy, rolling back four years of an “America First” policy that privileged a transactional approach to diplomacy, and undercut the United States’ alliance relationships and its influence in international bodies. Despite the entrance of a new U.S. administration with a fresh vision, however, much of the global and regional strategic contexts remain largely unchanged from the previous administration, with U.S.-China competition looming large and likely to drive many aspects of U.S. foreign policy for the foreseeable future. This paper will focus on two of the Biden administration’s greatest challenges in East Asia: managing competition with China and advancing denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula. It will begin by describing the current state of American perceptions of China and discuss the implications for U.S. foreign policy, including potential areas of policy continuity and change from the Trump to Biden administrations, and the implications for U.S. allies. The essay will then turn to the North Korean nuclear challenge, outlining the state of diplomacy with Pyongyang and the threat of its ever-expanding nuclear capabilities, as well as potential ways to restart momentum on nuclear negotiations. Finally, the paper will conclude by highlighting the challenges and opportunities for allied cooperation on China and North Korea, and recommendations on how the United States and Republic of Korea (ROK) might enhance bilateral and multilateral coordination on these dual challenges.