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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
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay delivers a speech to announce the U.S. request to return to the institution at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay delivers a speech to announce the U.S. request to return to the institution at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Is UNESCO the Next Arena for U.S.-China Tensions?

China Brief
James Palmer
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the State Department in Washington on Feb. 3.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the State Department in Washington on Feb. 3.

Why Beijing Won’t Engage With Washington

China Brief
James Palmer
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov pose for a group photo in front of a row of flags.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov pose for a group photo in front of a row of flags.

Is China Replacing Russia in Central Asia?

China Brief
James Palmer
A person dressed in black stands with their back to the camera and poses with a blue, white, and pink transgender pride flag outside the court house in Hangzhou, China, on Dec. 3, 2019.
A person dressed in black stands with their back to the camera and poses with a blue, white, and pink transgender pride flag outside the court house in Hangzhou, China, on Dec. 3, 2019.

LGBTQ Spaces Are Shrinking in China

China Brief
James Palmer
Nicholas Burns testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be ambassador to China in Washington on Oct. 20, 2021.
Nicholas Burns testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be ambassador to China in Washington on Oct. 20, 2021.

What Happened at the Latest U.S.-China Meeting

China Brief
James Palmer
An investor monitors stock price movements at a securities company in Shanghai on Sept. 24, 2021.
An investor monitors stock price movements at a securities company in Shanghai on Sept. 24, 2021.

China’s Latest Data Restrictions Could Scare Off Investors

China Brief
James Palmer
Lu Shaye, China's ambassador in France
Lu Shaye, China's ambassador in France

When a Wolf Warrior Howls

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 19.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 19.

Why Xi Is Rebranding Chinese Cultural History

China Brief
James Palmer
People watch as a Taiwanese fighter jet lands after routine patrols and training exercises at an air force base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on April 6.
People watch as a Taiwanese fighter jet lands after routine patrols and training exercises at an air force base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on April 6.

China Softens Threat on Taiwan No-Fly Zone

China Brief
James Palmer
A vendor stands next to newspapers featuring a front page photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a newsstand in Beijing on March 21.
A vendor stands next to newspapers featuring a front page photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a newsstand in Beijing on March 21.

Why Did China Recall Millions of Newspapers?

China Brief
James Palmer
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew prepares to testify before the U.S. Congress.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew prepares to testify before the U.S. Congress.

Is TikTok Its Own Worst Enemy?

China Brief
James Palmer
Russian President Vladimir Putin sees off Chinese President Xi Jinping after a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sees off Chinese President Xi Jinping after a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

What to Make of Xi’s Trip to Moscow

China Brief
James Palmer
China’s former premier, Li Keqiang, left, shakes hands with newly elected Premier Li Qiang, right, during the fourth plenary session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11.
China’s former premier, Li Keqiang, left, shakes hands with newly elected Premier Li Qiang, right, during the fourth plenary session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11.

China Gets a New Premier

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping drinks a cup of tea during the second plenary session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on March 7.
Chinese President Xi Jinping drinks a cup of tea during the second plenary session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on March 7.

Why China Has Sharpened Its Anti-American Rhetoric

China Brief
James Palmer
A woman walks past a billboard showing Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Feb. 28.
A woman walks past a billboard showing Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Feb. 28.

How the Chinese Communist Party Plans to Reinforce Its Power

China Brief
James Palmer
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