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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
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
A screen shows an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kashgar, Xinjiang, on June 4.
A screen shows an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kashgar, Xinjiang, on June 4.

Leaked Documents Expose the Machinery of China’s Prison Camps

China Brief
James Palmer
Hong Kong's chief executive, Carrie Lam, attends the opening session of the National People's Congress in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on March 5, 2018.
Hong Kong's chief executive, Carrie Lam, attends the opening session of the National People's Congress in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on March 5, 2018.

Hong Kongers Break Beijing’s Delusions of Victory

Argument
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a welcoming ceremony in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a welcoming ceremony in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017.

Donald Trump’s America Can’t Fight Xi Jinping’s China

Argument
James Palmer
Activists gather outside the British Consulate-General building in Hong Kong on Aug. 21 following reports that Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong consulate employee, was detained by mainland Chinese authorities.
Activists gather outside the British Consulate-General building in Hong Kong on Aug. 21 following reports that Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong consulate employee, was detained by mainland Chinese authorities.

Is China Detaining Hong Kong Protesters on the Mainland?

China Brief
James Palmer
Workers fill sacks with lithium carbonate at the state-owned lithium extraction complex in the southern zone of the Uyuni Salt Flat, Bolivia.
Workers fill sacks with lithium carbonate at the state-owned lithium extraction complex in the southern zone of the Uyuni Salt Flat, Bolivia.

Bolivia’s Lithium Isn’t The New Oil

Explainer
Keith Johnson, James Palmer
Protesters stand on a bridge over the Tolo Highway at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Nov. 13.
Protesters stand on a bridge over the Tolo Highway at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Nov. 13.

Hong Kong’s Violence Arrives on Campus

China Brief
James Palmer
Police fire tear gas to disperse protesters in Hong Kong
Police fire tear gas to disperse protesters in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s Violence Will Get Worse

Explainer
James Palmer
Protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks gather in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on Nov. 5, the one month anniversary of the local government banning face coverings at rallies.
Protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks gather in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on Nov. 5, the one month anniversary of the local government banning face coverings at rallies.

What Is Beijing Planning for Hong Kong?

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials sing the Chinese national anthem during a ceremony to mark Martyr's Day at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 30.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials sing the Chinese national anthem during a ceremony to mark Martyr's Day at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 30.

What Is Happening at China’s Secret Plenum?

China Brief
James Palmer
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