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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
Two men in dark suits stand side-by-side in a large, paved outdoor courtyard. The man on the left wears a bright red tie and looks off to the side with a serious expression. The man on the right wears a burgundy tie and has a slight smile. In the background, a large, multi-tiered circular traditional building with a blue roof and ornate details stands under a pale sky. A person in a dark uniform is visible in the far distance to the right.
Two men in dark suits stand side-by-side in a large, paved outdoor courtyard. The man on the left wears a bright red tie and looks off to the side with a serious expression. The man on the right wears a burgundy tie and has a slight smile. In the background, a large, multi-tiered circular traditional building with a blue roof and ornate details stands under a pale sky. A person in a dark uniform is visible in the far distance to the right.

The Trump-Xi Summit Was Remarkably Banal This article has an audio recording

Analysis
James Palmer
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the White House. Behind him, an American flag, greenery, a construction crane, and the Washington monument can be seen in the distance.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the White House. Behind him, an American flag, greenery, a construction crane, and the Washington monument can be seen in the distance.

What Trump and Xi Want From Their Summit

China Brief
James Palmer
Containers and ships are seen at a port in Qingdao, China.
Containers and ships are seen at a port in Qingdao, China.

China Tests a Rare Tool in Its Sanctions Arsenal

China Brief
James Palmer
Mark Zuckerberg stands on a stage, adjusting a pair of thick-rimmed black smart glasses. He is wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans, positioned against a background that is half white and half solid orange.
Mark Zuckerberg stands on a stage, adjusting a pair of thick-rimmed black smart glasses. He is wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans, positioned against a background that is half white and half solid orange.

China Pulls the Plug on Meta’s AI Acquisition

China Brief
James Palmer
A black-and-white historical photograph of a crowded hospital ward. Rows of patients lie in narrow metal cots covered with blankets, while two individuals wearing white face masks stand at the far end of the room.
A black-and-white historical photograph of a crowded hospital ward. Rows of patients lie in narrow metal cots covered with blankets, while two individuals wearing white face masks stand at the far end of the room.

Pete Hegseth Is America’s New Secretary of Pestilence

Argument
James Palmer
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen ahead of a bilateral meeting in Busan, South Korea.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen ahead of a bilateral meeting in Busan, South Korea.

China Doesn’t Always Win When the U.S. Loses

China Brief
James Palmer
An up-close portion of the Riverwalk apartment building is pictured as gray clouds loom to the left.
An up-close portion of the Riverwalk apartment building is pictured as gray clouds loom to the left.

Did London’s Dirty Money Really Kill a Teenage Fantasist? This article has an audio recording

Review
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed AI Nahyan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 14.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed AI Nahyan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 14.

On Iran, China Softens Its Approach

China Brief
James Palmer
Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary Ma Xingrui speaks during the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing.
Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary Ma Xingrui speaks during the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing.

Another Chinese Politburo Member Falls

China Brief
James Palmer
Red books are seen on the desks as a delegate reads a magazine before the closing session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing.
Red books are seen on the desks as a delegate reads a magazine before the closing session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing.

Xi’s Innovation Paradox

China Brief
James Palmer
An aerial drone photo shows new university campuses under construction in Xiong’an New Area, northern China’s Hebei province, on Feb. 11.
An aerial drone photo shows new university campuses under construction in Xiong’an New Area, northern China’s Hebei province, on Feb. 11.

Xi Doubles Down on His City of the Future

China Brief
James Palmer
Pedestrians walk past a display with the prices in Hong Kong dollars at a gas station in Hong Kong.
Pedestrians walk past a display with the prices in Hong Kong dollars at a gas station in Hong Kong.

China’s Hormuz Problem

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi looks on during a press conference in Beijing on March 8.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi looks on during a press conference in Beijing on March 8.

Why China Might Have a Role to Play in Iran

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a meeting on the Iranian nuclear issue in Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a meeting on the Iranian nuclear issue in Beijing.

How China Sees the War in Iran

China Brief
James Palmer
A man looks at his phone near a giant image of the Chinese flag on the side of a building in Beijing on Oct. 23, 2017.
A man looks at his phone near a giant image of the Chinese flag on the side of a building in Beijing on Oct. 23, 2017.

China’s Next Cyber Crackdown

China Brief
James Palmer
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