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 hand holds an iPhone that displayed a message from TikTok saying "Welcome back."
A hand holds an iPhone that displayed a message from TikTok saying "Welcome back."

TikTok’s Future Is Up to the CCP
Analysis
James Palmer
A hand holds an iPhone that displayed a message from TikTok saying "Welcome back."
A hand holds an iPhone that displayed a message from TikTok saying "Welcome back."

TikTok Debate Could Stir White House Clash
China Brief
James Palmer
Supporters of TikTok livestream in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Jan. 10.
Supporters of TikTok livestream in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Jan. 10.

Can Trump Strike a Deal Over TikTok?
China Brief
James Palmer
U.S. President Joe Biden looks at his phone as he leaves the White House on Aug. 16, 2024.
U.S. President Joe Biden looks at his phone as he leaves the White House on Aug. 16, 2024.

Salt Typhoon Stirs Panic in Washington
China Brief
James Palmer
Cars wait to be loaded onto ships for export in Lianyungang, China, on Dec. 12.
Cars wait to be loaded onto ships for export in Lianyungang, China, on Dec. 12.

5 Predictions for China in 2025
China Brief
James Palmer
Two people sit on the steps in front of a red door in Beijing. Above them is the Chinese flag.
Two people sit on the steps in front of a red door in Beijing. Above them is the Chinese flag.

China Is Still Suffering an Economic Hangover
5 Top Reads
James Palmer
Commuters walk by office towers under construction during rush hour in Beijing on Oct. 18.
Commuters walk by office towers under construction during rush hour in Beijing on Oct. 18.

China’s Year in Review
China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017.

What Trump’s Personalized Presidency Means for China
China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 22, 2023.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 22, 2023.

China Needs a New Approach in Syria
China Brief
James Palmer
Military delegates walk together as they arrive at the closing session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on March 11.
Military delegates walk together as they arrive at the closing session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on March 11.

Another Chinese Military Official Under Fire
China Brief
James Palmer
Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul on Dec. 4, after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law.
Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul on Dec. 4, after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law.

How South Koreans Rejected Martial Law
Explainer
James Palmer
A screenshot from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 depicts the famous Ferris wheel near Pripyat, Ukraine.
A screenshot from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 depicts the famous Ferris wheel near Pripyat, Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Most Famous Video Game Gets a Wartime Installment
Review
James Palmer
Employees work on a production line of stuffed teddy bears for export at a toy factory in Lianyungang, China, on Nov. 22.
Employees work on a production line of stuffed teddy bears for export at a toy factory in Lianyungang, China, on Nov. 22.

What Trump’s Tariffs Will Mean for China
China Brief
James Palmer
The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic, Alan Moore and Steve Moore with various artists, Top Shelf Productions, $49.99, 352 pp, October 2024.
The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic, Alan Moore and Steve Moore with various artists, Top Shelf Productions, $49.99, 352 pp, October 2024.

Alan Moore Wants You to Invent Your Own God
Review
James Palmer
A woman prays in front of a low wall with flowers sitting on it. Behind the flowers is a low shrub and a taller wall with red raised Chinese characters on it.
A woman prays in front of a low wall with flowers sitting on it. Behind the flowers is a low shrub and a taller wall with red raised Chinese characters on it.

Mass Attacks in China Spark Concern, Censorship
China Brief
James Palmer
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