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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 photo collage illustration shows Navy brass pictured with Fat Leonard raising glasses against a backdrop of Navy ships in the Pacific. Overlaid text reads: Wanted by U.S. Marshals next to a round image of Fat Leonard applying a spa facial mask.
A photo collage illustration shows Navy brass pictured with Fat Leonard raising glasses against a backdrop of Navy ships in the Pacific. Overlaid text reads: Wanted by U.S. Marshals next to a round image of Fat Leonard applying a spa facial mask.

‘Fat Leonard’ Was a Crook U.S. Admirals Called Bro

Review
James Palmer
Migrants walk by the jungle near Bajo Chiquito, Darién province, Panama, on Sept. 22, 2023.
Migrants walk by the jungle near Bajo Chiquito, Darién province, Panama, on Sept. 22, 2023.

Why Are More Chinese Migrants Arriving at the U.S. Southern Border?

China Brief
James Palmer
China’s silver medalists, Xu Jiayu, Yan Zibei, Zhang Yufei, and Yang Junxuan, stand on the podium next to the British gold medalists after the final of the mixed 4x100m medley relay swimming event during the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
China’s silver medalists, Xu Jiayu, Yan Zibei, Zhang Yufei, and Yang Junxuan, stand on the podium next to the British gold medalists after the final of the mixed 4x100m medley relay swimming event during the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Does China Have to Play by the Rules?

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping walks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping walks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Beijing Walks a Fine Line in the Middle East

China Brief
James Palmer
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen shakes hands with Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the People’s Bank of China, during her visit to the central bank’s headquarters in Beijing.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen shakes hands with Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the People’s Bank of China, during her visit to the central bank’s headquarters in Beijing.

China Won’t Change Tack on Economic Policy

China Brief
James Palmer
Philippine Coast Guard personnel are seen aboard an inflatable boat speeding past a Chinese Coast Guard ship after conducting a survey at the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel are seen aboard an inflatable boat speeding past a Chinese Coast Guard ship after conducting a survey at the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea.

China-Philippines Tensions Heat Up

China Brief
James Palmer
British members of Parliament Tim Loughton, Iain Duncan Smith And Stewart McDonald, hold a press conference after allegations that China is responsible for cyberattacks on the U.K. Electoral Commission in London on March 25.
British members of Parliament Tim Loughton, Iain Duncan Smith And Stewart McDonald, hold a press conference after allegations that China is responsible for cyberattacks on the U.K. Electoral Commission in London on March 25.

U.S. and U.K. Sanction Chinese Hacking Group

China Brief
James Palmer
A woman tests a VR product during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 7, 2023.
A woman tests a VR product during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 7, 2023.

Beijing Pushes for AI Regulation

China Brief
James Palmer
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Jan. 31.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Jan. 31.

U.S. House Moves Toward TikTok Crackdown

China Brief
James Palmer
A general view of the opening session of the National People’s Congress in the Great Hall of People in Beijing on March 5.
A general view of the opening session of the National People’s Congress in the Great Hall of People in Beijing on March 5.

Beijing Holds Annual Two Sessions Amid Economic Crisis

China Brief
James Palmer
A high-up view shows the tops of skyscrapers in the city of Nanjing, China, beneath a blue sky. The closest building is part of a China Evergrande Group housing project.
A high-up view shows the tops of skyscrapers in the city of Nanjing, China, beneath a blue sky. The closest building is part of a China Evergrande Group housing project.

Can Beijing Contain the Property Crisis?

China Brief
James Palmer
Visitors walk past a dragon installation at a Lunar New Year fair in Chengdu, China, on Feb. 17.
Visitors walk past a dragon installation at a Lunar New Year fair in Chengdu, China, on Feb. 17.

The Dragon Won’t Bring China a Baby Boom

China Brief
James Palmer
Seen from above, a worker arranges red lanterns for upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations in Huaian, China.
Seen from above, a worker arranges red lanterns for upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations in Huaian, China.

China’s Stock Market Falters as Holiday Season Begins

China Brief
James Palmer
A scene from the TV show The Long Season shows three men sitting on a cushioned bench. And older man wearing a vest sits in the middle, and two younger men flank him, one smoking a cigarette and the other appearing to yawn.
A scene from the TV show The Long Season shows three men sitting on a cushioned bench. And older man wearing a vest sits in the middle, and two younger men flank him, one smoking a cigarette and the other appearing to yawn.

How Did This Brilliant Chinese Rust Belt Noir Get Made Under Xi?

Review
James Palmer
A delivery worker uses an escalator at a partially operating Evergrande commercial complex in Beijing.
A delivery worker uses an escalator at a partially operating Evergrande commercial complex in Beijing.

It’s Almost the End for China’s Evergrande

China Brief
James Palmer
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