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.

Follow James Palmer:
On Bluesky
Articles by James Palmer
Guests applaud people on stage at a show held as part of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Torch Relay in Beijing on Feb. 2.
Guests applaud people on stage at a show held as part of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Torch Relay in Beijing on Feb. 2.

Beijing Locals Shrug as Winter Olympics Begin

China Brief
James Palmer
A migrant worker crosses a road after arriving on a long distance bus in Beijing on March 10, 2021.
A migrant worker crosses a road after arriving on a long distance bus in Beijing on March 10, 2021.

How Beijing’s COVID-19 Outbreak Exposes Urban Poverty

China Brief
James Palmer
Security guards stand inside a fenced area that is part of the closed loop bubble for people taking part in the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing on Jan. 19.
Security guards stand inside a fenced area that is part of the closed loop bubble for people taking part in the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing on Jan. 19.

The Omicron Variant Arrives in Beijing

China Brief
James Palmer
A staff member opens a door at a temporary COVID-19 testing facility in Tianjin, China.
A staff member opens a door at a temporary COVID-19 testing facility in Tianjin, China.

As Another City Locks Down, China Is on High Alert

China Brief
James Palmer
A sanitation worker sweeps a deserted road in Xian, China, on Dec. 28, 2021.
A sanitation worker sweeps a deserted road in Xian, China, on Dec. 28, 2021.

Can China Lock Down Again?

China Brief
James Palmer
Residents line up for COVID-19 tests in Ningbo, China, on Dec. 8.
Residents line up for COVID-19 tests in Ningbo, China, on Dec. 8.

The Stories That Could Define China in 2022

China Brief
James Palmer
A large screen displays video of U.S. President Joe Biden (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping as people walk by during the evening CCTV news broadcast outside a shopping mall in Beijing on Nov. 16.
A large screen displays video of U.S. President Joe Biden (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping as people walk by during the evening CCTV news broadcast outside a shopping mall in Beijing on Nov. 16.

U.S.-China Relations Hit a Nadir in 2021

5 Top Reads
James Palmer
Health workers wearing PPE stand next to buses at a cordoned-off section of the international arrivals area, where arriving travelers are to be taken into quarantine, at the international airport in Wuhan on Jan. 14.
Health workers wearing PPE stand next to buses at a cordoned-off section of the international arrivals area, where arriving travelers are to be taken into quarantine, at the international airport in Wuhan on Jan. 14.

China Reckons With Omicron’s Specter

Analysis
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing on July 1.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing on July 1.

The Chinese Communist Party’s Big Year

5 Top Reads
James Palmer
A health worker takes a swab sample at a makeshift COVID-19 testing center.
A health worker takes a swab sample at a makeshift COVID-19 testing center.

How Will China Respond to the Omicron Variant?

China Brief
James Palmer
Pedestrians walk in an alleyway lined with neon signs in Macao on Jan. 22, 2020.
Pedestrians walk in an alleyway lined with neon signs in Macao on Jan. 22, 2020.

Macao’s Casino Industry Is Struggling

China Brief
James Palmer
Best-games-2021-that-explain-the-world-foreign-policy-Games
Best-games-2021-that-explain-the-world-foreign-policy-Games

5 Games That Explain The World

Review
James Palmer, Jennifer Williams
Peng Shuai of China returns a shot against Daria Kasatkina of Russia during the women's singles first round match of 2019 China Open at the China National Tennis Center in Beijing on Sept. 28, 2019.
Peng Shuai of China returns a shot against Daria Kasatkina of Russia during the women's singles first round match of 2019 China Open at the China National Tennis Center in Beijing on Sept. 28, 2019.

Peng Shuai and the CCP’s Clumsy Propaganda Effort

China Brief
James Palmer
A large screen displays U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit outside a shopping mall in Beijing on Nov. 16.
A large screen displays U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit outside a shopping mall in Beijing on Nov. 16.

Xi-Biden Summit Produces Few Breakthroughs

China Brief
James Palmer
Books on Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen on display at a bookstore in Beijing on Nov. 8.
Books on Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen on display at a bookstore in Beijing on Nov. 8.

How Will Xi Jinping Rewrite History?

China Brief
James Palmer
Load more by James Palmer Return to staff list

Latest

See All Stories

Trending

  1. 1
    Trump Might Sell Out Taiwan—Here’s How to Prevent It
  2. 2
    This Isn’t India-China Rapprochement
  3. 3
    Europe’s ‘Peace Through Strength’ Hypocrisy
  4. 4
    Is Ukraine the Future of Asia?
  5. 5
    Trump Has No Idea How to Do Diplomacy