History repeats in Shenzhen? China hosts another lame-duck US president

China is set to host an American president facing his final weeks in office, following the Democrats' devastating defeat in the midterm elections. This is the second time in a decade that China has welcomed a "lame-duck" U.S. leader, the first instance being President Barack Obama in 2016. The upcoming visit of President Donald Trump to Shenzhen, China, will mark their third meeting this year.

According to Chinese scholar Mei Yang, Trump may be more willing to negotiate and strike quick deals during his visit to Shenzhen, as he seeks to minimize political fallout within his own party. However, he is unlikely to yield ground on technology, Taiwan or other key issues. Mei suggests that Trump could focus on extending the trade truce and improving law enforcement cooperation with China to combat narcotics and telecom fraud.

China's reaction to Trump's visit remains cautious, as it sees Taiwan as an integral part of its territory. Despite this, Beijing is eager to maintain stable relations with Washington and hopes that the U.S. leader's visit will help manage the current differences and expand areas of cooperation. However, Mei warns that a single meeting cannot erase long-standing disagreements between the two nations.