A Hong Kong-based political expert on Wednesday said Republican Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election would add uncertainty to Sino-American ties.

"There's no guaranteed outcome... It's going to be an incredibly unpredictable and volatile four years, with more trade protectionism and tariffs, with potential escalation and flare-ups over geopolitical fault lines near China," Brian Wong, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and a fellow at the Centre on Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong, told RTHK.

Wong likened Trump's return to the White House to a game of Russian roulette for Beijing.

He noted that Trump's backers included many China hawks, such as former US trade representative Robert Lighthizer and former acting US director of national intelligence Richard Grenell, as well as those with business interests in the country.

"Donald Trump also has enduring ties with many prominent businessmen with sizeable corporate interests and commercial interests in China, including (Blackstone CEO) Stephen Schwarzman and also (Tesla CEO) Elon Musk," he said.

"So how these different factions and also voices in his likely administration makeup and also in a circle of advisors on China influences him, that remains to be seen."