Palmer-James-foreign-policy-staff-portraits-202226
Palmer-James-foreign-policy-staff-portraits-202226

James Palmer

Deputy Editor [email protected]

James Palmer is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy and writes FP’s weekly China Brief newsletter. Palmer is the author of The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia and The Death of Mao: The Tangshan Earthquake and the Birth of the New China. He won the Shiva Naipaul prize for travel writing in 2003.

Follow James Palmer:
On Bluesky
Articles by James Palmer
The Chinese and U.S. delegations speak at talks in Alaska.
The Chinese and U.S. delegations speak at talks in Alaska.

China Hits Back at Western Sanctions

China Brief
James Palmer
Inmates perform play by William Shakespeare.
Inmates perform play by William Shakespeare.

Why Was Roman Politics So Stabby?

Review
James Palmer
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in South Korea.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in South Korea.

U.S. and Chinese Diplomats Set to Meet on Thin Ice

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese personnel stand in formation next to a portrait of President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Oct. 22, 2020.
Chinese personnel stand in formation next to a portrait of President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Oct. 22, 2020.

China’s Military Is Outmatched

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese soldiers march in Beijing
Chinese soldiers march in Beijing

What to Expect From China’s Annual Legislative Sessions

China Brief
James Palmer
An Indian Air Force fighter jet near the Chinese-Indian border.
An Indian Air Force fighter jet near the Chinese-Indian border.

China Admits Casualties in Border Skirmish With India

China Brief
James Palmer
Protesters deface China's national flag on Feb. 11 in Yangon, Myanmar.
Protesters deface China's national flag on Feb. 11 in Yangon, Myanmar.

Why Are Myanmar’s Protesters Targeting China?

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese officials arrive for meetings with the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 29.
Chinese officials arrive for meetings with the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 29.

The WHO Investigation Shows Beijing Still Pulls the Strings

China Brief
James Palmer
Supporters of China’s Muslim Uighur minority hold torches and placards of people allegedly killed in the country’s so-called reeducation camps during a demonstration in Istanbul on Dec. 20, 2019.
Supporters of China’s Muslim Uighur minority hold torches and placards of people allegedly killed in the country’s so-called reeducation camps during a demonstration in Istanbul on Dec. 20, 2019.

Xinjiang’s Camps Enable Systemic Sexual Violence

China Brief
James Palmer
People walk below a giant screen showing news coverage of Chinese President Xi Jinping's virtual speech to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, outside a shopping mall in Beijing on Nov. 19, 2020.
People walk below a giant screen showing news coverage of Chinese President Xi Jinping's virtual speech to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, outside a shopping mall in Beijing on Nov. 19, 2020.

Xi Jinping Shows His Nerves Over Decoupling

China Brief
James Palmer
A QAnon sticker is seen on the back of a car
A QAnon sticker is seen on the back of a car

QAnon Will Survive Yet Another Apocalyptic Disappointment

Argument
James Palmer
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives for a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the Great Hall of the People on June 14, 2018 in Beijing.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives for a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the Great Hall of the People on June 14, 2018 in Beijing.

China Issues Sanctions on Long List of Trump Officials

China Brief
James Palmer
A police patrol walks in an empty railway station on Jan. 7 in Shijiazhuang, China.
A police patrol walks in an empty railway station on Jan. 7 in Shijiazhuang, China.

China Puts Millions of People Back Under Lockdown

China Brief
James Palmer
Riot police push back a crowd of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump at the Capitol
Riot police push back a crowd of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump at the Capitol

‘This Was Like Charlottesville on Steroids’

Insider
James Palmer
Police officers stand guard near the office of John Clancey, a human right lawyer, on Jan. 6 after he was arrested by police in Hong Kong.
Police officers stand guard near the office of John Clancey, a human right lawyer, on Jan. 6 after he was arrested by police in Hong Kong.

Arrests Sound the Death Knell of Dissent in Hong Kong

China Brief
James Palmer
Load more by James Palmer Return to staff list

Latest

See All Stories

Trending

  1. 1
    Is China Changing Its Nuclear Launch Strategy?
  2. 2
    Israel Isn’t a Hegemon Yet, But It’s Now a Revisionist Power
  3. 3
    How to Get the U.S.-India Relationship Back on Track
  4. 4
    Devastating Floods Highlight Beijing’s Water Problems