A Japanese lawmaker said Wednesday that Japan should strengthen its strategic ties with its neighbors, including Taiwan, in the face of a rising China and a new administration in the United States.

Keisuke Suzuki of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party told a panel discussion of an international forum in Taipei that the Asian region is facing two main challenges: the rise of China and potential isolationism following the election of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

If Japan and the United States do not show a clear commitment to the region economically and militarily, regional countries will "inevitably move closer to mainland China because they are really vulnerable," Suzuki said in English.