About Charles

My career so far resembles a sandwich - East Asia is the bread, Europe the filling. My first posting was in Hong Kong (1989-93) where I worked on the British-Chinese team that negotiated the transfer of sovereignty, and I continued working on the same issues from London until 1995. For the next ten years I worked on European issues, first on the UK's programme of support for Central European countries making democratic, economic and social reforms after the fall of the Berlin Wall, then on bilateral UK-Swiss affairs from the Embassy in Berne. Returning to London, I ran the team leading on Enlargement of the European Union.

And in 2005 I returned to East Asia as Deputy Director of our office in Taipei. My posting comes to an end in August after four challenging, but fascinating and highly enjoyable years.

I live with my wife and five children in Taipei's Yangmingshan. I spend as much spare time as possible pedalling a Taiwan-built bicycle up and down Yangmingshan's beautiful hills.