With Joe Biden maintaining a lead as ballot counting continues in the U.S. presidential election, China experts are concerned that a Biden administration is likely to boost ties with Asian allies to keep Beijing in check. 

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post said Saturday that challenges to China under a Biden presidency may be more serious as Washington will likely be re-engaging with the world after four years backing away under Donald Trump.

Pang Zhongying, an international relations professor at Ocean University in Qingdao, was quoted as saying that the U.S.-China rivalry which spans a host of issues could become more intense.

Shi Yinhong, a professor at Renmin University in Beijing, also said that U.S. engagement with its allies under Biden will create pressure on China in terms of containment and isolation.

Kunihiko Miyake, a foreign policy adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, meanwhile said the friction between the U.S. and China meant Washington would need Tokyo more than ever, regardless of who won the presidential election.

He said the friction between the two superpowers would not dissipate under a new president because Democrats and Republicans agree that China is America’s main strategic rival.