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
A student enters a school on the first day of the national college entrance exam, known as "gaokao," in Wuhan, China.
A student enters a school on the first day of the national college entrance exam, known as "gaokao," in Wuhan, China.

China’s Secondary Schools Are Not Equal
China Brief
James Palmer
Residential buildings under construction are seen in Hangzhou, China, on May 9.
Residential buildings under construction are seen in Hangzhou, China, on May 9.

Can China Turn Its Property Glut Into Affordable Housing?
China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun sits onstage in front of a bright blue wall as he attends the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He wears a black military dress uniform and glasses, and one hand is raised to his face to adjust his microphone wire.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun sits onstage in front of a bright blue wall as he attends the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He wears a black military dress uniform and glasses, and one hand is raised to his face to adjust his microphone wire.

China Postures at Shangri-La
China Brief
James Palmer
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and first lady Wu Mei-ju gesture after his inaugural speech at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and first lady Wu Mei-ju gesture after his inaugural speech at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.

Taiwan’s New President Pledges Not to Yield to China
China Brief
James Palmer
An aerial shot shows lines of dozens of new electric cars, seen from overhead in a packed-dirt lot as they wait to be loaded onto a ship at a port in Yantai, China. Most of the cars are black or white but a few are yellow.
An aerial shot shows lines of dozens of new electric cars, seen from overhead in a packed-dirt lot as they wait to be loaded onto a ship at a port in Yantai, China. Most of the cars are black or white but a few are yellow.

Can the U.S. Catch Up to China on EVs?
China Brief
James Palmer
A photo collage illustration shows Navy brass pictured with Fat Leonard raising glasses against a backdrop of Navy ships in the Pacific. Overlaid text reads: Wanted by U.S. Marshals next to a round image of Fat Leonard applying a spa facial mask.
A photo collage illustration shows Navy brass pictured with Fat Leonard raising glasses against a backdrop of Navy ships in the Pacific. Overlaid text reads: Wanted by U.S. Marshals next to a round image of Fat Leonard applying a spa facial mask.

‘Fat Leonard’ Was a Crook U.S. Admirals Called Bro
Review
James Palmer
Migrants walk by the jungle near Bajo Chiquito, Darién province, Panama, on Sept. 22, 2023.
Migrants walk by the jungle near Bajo Chiquito, Darién province, Panama, on Sept. 22, 2023.

Why Are More Chinese Migrants Arriving at the U.S. Southern Border?
China Brief
James Palmer
China’s silver medalists, Xu Jiayu, Yan Zibei, Zhang Yufei, and Yang Junxuan, stand on the podium next to the British gold medalists after the final of the mixed 4x100m medley relay swimming event during the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
China’s silver medalists, Xu Jiayu, Yan Zibei, Zhang Yufei, and Yang Junxuan, stand on the podium next to the British gold medalists after the final of the mixed 4x100m medley relay swimming event during the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Does China Have to Play by the Rules?
China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping walks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping walks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Beijing Walks a Fine Line in the Middle East
China Brief
James Palmer
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen shakes hands with Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the People’s Bank of China, during her visit to the central bank’s headquarters in Beijing.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen shakes hands with Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the People’s Bank of China, during her visit to the central bank’s headquarters in Beijing.

China Won’t Change Tack on Economic Policy
China Brief
James Palmer
Philippine Coast Guard personnel are seen aboard an inflatable boat speeding past a Chinese Coast Guard ship after conducting a survey at the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel are seen aboard an inflatable boat speeding past a Chinese Coast Guard ship after conducting a survey at the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea.

China-Philippines Tensions Heat Up
China Brief
James Palmer
British members of Parliament Tim Loughton, Iain Duncan Smith And Stewart McDonald, hold a press conference after allegations that China is responsible for cyberattacks on the U.K. Electoral Commission in London on March 25.
British members of Parliament Tim Loughton, Iain Duncan Smith And Stewart McDonald, hold a press conference after allegations that China is responsible for cyberattacks on the U.K. Electoral Commission in London on March 25.

U.S. and U.K. Sanction Chinese Hacking Group
China Brief
James Palmer
A woman tests a VR product during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 7, 2023.
A woman tests a VR product during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 7, 2023.

Beijing Pushes for AI Regulation
China Brief
James Palmer
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Jan. 31.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Jan. 31.

U.S. House Moves Toward TikTok Crackdown
China Brief
James Palmer
A general view of the opening session of the National People’s Congress in the Great Hall of People in Beijing on March 5.
A general view of the opening session of the National People’s Congress in the Great Hall of People in Beijing on March 5.

Beijing Holds Annual Two Sessions Amid Economic Crisis
China Brief
James Palmer
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