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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.

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Articles by James Palmer
A police officer wearing a protective mask in Beijing
A police officer wearing a protective mask in Beijing

Market Players Wonder: Is China’s Coronavirus the Next Black Swan?

Report
Keith Johnson, James Palmer
A vendor (C) wearing a facemask offers meat at a near-empty market on the eve of the Lunar New Year in Wuhan on January 24, 2020.
A vendor (C) wearing a facemask offers meat at a near-empty market on the eve of the Lunar New Year in Wuhan on January 24, 2020.

Don’t Blame Bat Soup for the Coronavirus

Argument
James Palmer
Medical staff members, wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus that began in the city, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 25.
Medical staff members, wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus that began in the city, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 25.

How to Tell What’s Really Happening With the Wuhan Virus

Explainer
James Palmer
A woman wears a mask while cleaning in the street in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 22.
A woman wears a mask while cleaning in the street in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 22.

Wuhan’s Virus and Quarantine Will Hit the Poor Hardest

Argument
Rui Zhong, James Palmer
Security officials check the temperature of passengers in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 22.
Security officials check the temperature of passengers in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 22.

Wuhan Is Going Under Quarantine

China Brief
James Palmer
Medical staff transfer patients to hospital in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 17.
Medical staff transfer patients to hospital in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 17.

Wuhan’s 11 Million People Face Quarantine as Virus Fears Spread

Explainer
James Palmer
U.S. President Donald Trump, and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He sign trade agreements between the U.S. and China at the White House on Jan. 15 in Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump, and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He sign trade agreements between the U.S. and China at the White House on Jan. 15 in Washington.

The ‘Phase One’ Trade Deal Is Still Hypothetical

China Brief
James Palmer
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex

Harry and Meghan Are Leaving the Job but Keeping the Salary

Explainer
James Palmer
Taiwan's incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during a rally on Jan. 8 in Taoyuan, Taiwan, ahead of Saturday's presidential election.
Taiwan's incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during a rally on Jan. 8 in Taoyuan, Taiwan, ahead of Saturday's presidential election.

Taiwan’s Election Is a Referendum on Its Identity

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping looks over Tiananmen Square
Chinese President Xi Jinping looks over Tiananmen Square

China’s Monumental Year

China Brief
James Palmer
Anti-government protesters fill the streets in Hong Kong on July 21. ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images
Anti-government protesters fill the streets in Hong Kong on July 21. ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images

China’s Year in 10 Charts

China Brief
James Palmer
Police officers during a protest in Hong Kong
Police officers during a protest in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s Turbulent Year

The Year in Review
James Palmer
China's President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arrive in Macao on Dec. 18.
China's President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arrive in Macao on Dec. 18.

Why China Isn’t Celebrating the Phase One Trade Deal

China Brief
James Palmer
A woman reads a book in a bookstore in Beijing on Nov. 7, 2017.
A woman reads a book in a bookstore in Beijing on Nov. 7, 2017.

Why Is China Burning Books?

China Brief
James Palmer
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang answers a question during a briefing in Beijing on Nov. 28.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang answers a question during a briefing in Beijing on Nov. 28.

Chinese Diplomacy Takes an Aggressive Turn

China Brief
James Palmer
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