Palmer-James-foreign-policy-staff-portraits-202226
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
In the foreground, a Chinese flag blows in the wind atop a flagpole. In the background are container ships, cranes, and stacked shipping containers, surrounded by cloudy skies and gray-blue water.
In the foreground, a Chinese flag blows in the wind atop a flagpole. In the background are container ships, cranes, and stacked shipping containers, surrounded by cloudy skies and gray-blue water.

China’s Year of Patience

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops look out from a bus as they arrive at Tiananmen Gate to take part in a military parade in Beijing.
Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops look out from a bus as they arrive at Tiananmen Gate to take part in a military parade in Beijing.

What’s It Like to Be a Chinese Soldier?

China Brief
James Palmer
U.S. President Donald Trump, center, alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, right, holds a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump, center, alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, right, holds a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington.

A Bad Week for Washington’s China Hawks

China Brief
James Palmer
Firefighters are seen following a massive fire at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong.
Firefighters are seen following a massive fire at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong.

Deadly Fire Highlights Hong Kong’s Predicament

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping, flanked by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, speaks during a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Busan, South Korea.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, flanked by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, speaks during a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Busan, South Korea.

Decoding the Trump-Xi Phone Call

China Brief
James Palmer
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, dressed in a blue blazer with a pearl necklace, stands at a podium in the House of Representatives in Tokyo. She is speaking into multiple microphones while holding an open book of notes. The background features blurred green and red lights, and wooden furnishings are visible behind her.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, dressed in a blue blazer with a pearl necklace, stands at a podium in the House of Representatives in Tokyo. She is speaking into multiple microphones while holding an open book of notes. The background features blurred green and red lights, and wooden furnishings are visible behind her.

China-Japan Rift Deepens Over Taiwan

China Brief
James Palmer
About a dozen Mongolians walk on a crosswalk in front of cars waiting for them to pass. The demonstrators hold banners and the Mongolian flag while marching through the streets as pale clouds loom overhead.
About a dozen Mongolians walk on a crosswalk in front of cars waiting for them to pass. The demonstrators hold banners and the Mongolian flag while marching through the streets as pale clouds loom overhead.

China’s Messy History With Mongolia

China Brief
James Palmer
Three book covers.
Three book covers.

The Forgotten Visionary of U.S. War in Latin America

Argument
James Palmer
Rows of large Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-31BJ intercontinental ballistic missiles are displayed during a parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, as uniformed soldiers stand nearby and journalists with cameras and microphones record the event.
Rows of large Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-31BJ intercontinental ballistic missiles are displayed during a parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, as uniformed soldiers stand nearby and journalists with cameras and microphones record the event.

What Are China’s Nuclear Ambitions?

China Brief
James Palmer
Trump and Xi Jinping are seen in profile as they shake hands; Xi is smiling, whereas Trump's mouth is open as he speaks. Both men wear dark suits and ties.
Trump and Xi Jinping are seen in profile as they shake hands; Xi is smiling, whereas Trump's mouth is open as he speaks. Both men wear dark suits and ties.

Trump and Xi Step Back From the Brink—for Now This article has an audio recording

Analysis
James Palmer
Donald Trump, wearing a white "USA" hat, a blue suit, and red tie, speaks at a podium in front of US Navy personnel in camo.
Donald Trump, wearing a white "USA" hat, a blue suit, and red tie, speaks at a podium in front of US Navy personnel in camo.

Can Trump and Xi Strike a Deal?

China Brief
James Palmer
A Chinese security guard in a bright yellow uniform stands in the foreground, partially turned to the side, near the entrance of a hotel. The entrance is marked by a large stone gate structure with three red flags flying on top. Security personnel and barriers are visible near the gate, and a black car is passing by on a crosswalk. Tall trees and a building with a radio tower are in the background under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
A Chinese security guard in a bright yellow uniform stands in the foreground, partially turned to the side, near the entrance of a hotel. The entrance is marked by a large stone gate structure with three red flags flying on top. Security personnel and barriers are visible near the gate, and a black car is passing by on a crosswalk. Tall trees and a building with a radio tower are in the background under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

China Announces Military Purge Ahead of Fourth Plenum

China Brief
James Palmer
A container ship is seen from directly above, at the port in Qingdao, China. It is heading toward the left of the image and flanked on its right by a smaller vessel. The containers on the main ship look rectangular from this angle and are brightly colored in shades of orange, red, white, and blue. The water beneath the vessels looks like a dark, almost emerald green.
A container ship is seen from directly above, at the port in Qingdao, China. It is heading toward the left of the image and flanked on its right by a smaller vessel. The containers on the main ship look rectangular from this angle and are brightly colored in shades of orange, red, white, and blue. The water beneath the vessels looks like a dark, almost emerald green.

China’s Rare-Earth Flex Sends the United States Scrambling

China Brief
James Palmer
A woman in a long, brown dress stands in front of a crowd of tourists, her hand stretched above to take a selfie of her group of travelers. Most of the people in the photo are dressed casually, many of them carrying purses and backpacks. They are standing in front of the Shanghai skyline at a popular tourist destination on a partly cloudy day.
A woman in a long, brown dress stands in front of a crowd of tourists, her hand stretched above to take a selfie of her group of travelers. Most of the people in the photo are dressed casually, many of them carrying purses and backpacks. They are standing in front of the Shanghai skyline at a popular tourist destination on a partly cloudy day.

China’s Weak Passports Are Holding Back Its Soft Power

China Brief
James Palmer
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te frowns as he talks with suited representatives from Lockheed Martin. He is wearing a striped tie.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te frowns as he talks with suited representatives from Lockheed Martin. He is wearing a striped tie.

How Taipei Should Handle Washington

China Brief
James Palmer
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