Tokyo

UNITED States President-elect Donald Trump's apparent willingness to engage with Taiwan could spur Chinese retaliation that draws in Japan, complicating the geopolitical landscape in North Asia, according to a former Japanese vice-minister for foreign affairs.

Yasuhide Nakayama, now deputy chairman of a ruling Liberal Democratic Party panel on security and prevention of terrorism, said he saw Mr Trump's recent phone call with Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen as a "smart" move because it took place before his inauguration and limits China's scope to react.