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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 group of rescue workers wearing life vests and helmets carry a bright orange, inflatable raft through a street filled with knee-high water. Behind them, several civilians in wet clothes walk through the water, including one who is leaning down to pull out a submerged object.
A group of rescue workers wearing life vests and helmets carry a bright orange, inflatable raft through a street filled with knee-high water. Behind them, several civilians in wet clothes walk through the water, including one who is leaning down to pull out a submerged object.

Record Flooding Highlights Rural-Urban Divide in China

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders pose with military officers who were promoted to the rank of general in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders pose with military officers who were promoted to the rank of general in Beijing.

China Replaces Top Rocket Force Commanders

China Brief
James Palmer
Antony Blinken and Qin Gang, both middle-aged men wearing dark suits and ties, walk along a red carpet in a hallway. Standing around them are members of the press, holding cameras and cell phones as they take photos of the officials.
Antony Blinken and Qin Gang, both middle-aged men wearing dark suits and ties, walk along a red carpet in a hallway. Standing around them are members of the press, holding cameras and cell phones as they take photos of the officials.

China Ousts Missing Foreign Minister

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang addresses the media during a press conference in Berlin. The Chinese flag can be seen behind a lens flare.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang addresses the media during a press conference in Berlin. The Chinese flag can be seen behind a lens flare.

Where Is China’s Foreign Minister?

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng gestures to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a meeting in Beijing.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng gestures to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a meeting in Beijing.

Washington Can’t Sell Beijing on Climate Diplomacy

China Brief
James Palmer
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow.

What Does the Wagner Revolt Mean for China?

China Brief
James Palmer
People wait to cross a street in Beijing on June 20.
People wait to cross a street in Beijing on June 20.

Why China’s Economy Hasn’t Bounced Back

China Brief
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
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