US foreign policy

In just five weeks as President-elect, Trump has given the world a taste of what Americans know already after a tumultuous political year: He is unpredictable, doesn't play by the usual rules and will chart an idiosyncratic course.

Nowhere is this clearer than the nascent Trump administration's evolving policy on Russia and China, which is emerging from on-the-fly comments, tweets from the President-elect himself, and a controversial potential pick for secretary of state.

Sarah Graham of Sydney University's United States Studies Centre said Donald Trump has oscillated a lot on the region during the American election campaign, now in its closing hours.

Dr Graham said if Mr Trump is elected he would need a strong team behind him to help build a vision for the region that governments could be comfortable with.

She said he has questioned the value of America's traditional alliances in the region, particularly Japan.

"He's talked about making allies pay their fair share or walking away.