Christopher Terence Wood (19 January 1959), is a retired British diplomat who served latterly as the British Consul General to Shanghai (2019-2023). His previous assignments included Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to China (2016-19), Representative,

British Office Taipei British Office Taipei (), formerly British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO), is the representative office of the United Kingdom Government in Taiwan with a principal role to promote the British trade and investment interests. It functions as a ...

from 2013 to 2016,

Minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

, British Embassy Beijing (2008–2012), Director for the Americas,

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries of fore ...

(2007–2008) and the British Consul-General to

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

(2003–2006). A native of

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Wood was educated in the county, and graduated from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in 1981, in which year he entered the FCO. In addition to the diplomatic service, Wood has also worked in other government departments including the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...

, the Department of Environment and on secondment to the Government of

British Hong Kong Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the Briti ...

. Wood undertook

Chinese language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the wor ...

training through the FCO in 1982–84, and has worked variously in Hong Kong and in the British missions in

and

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. Wood then served in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

as the British

head of mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, permane ...

there, dealing with the

Taiwan–United Kingdom relations Taiwan–United Kingdom relations refers to bilateral relations between Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) and the United Kingdom (officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). Due to the One China policy, the Un ...

, during which time the British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO), predecessor of the British Office Taipei, was renamed.

Biography

Early years

Chris Wood was born in

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

on 19 January 1959. He was educated at

Cotwall End Primary School Sedgley is a town in the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, Sedgley is on the A459 road between Wolverhampton and Dudley, and was formerly the seat of an ancient ...

and High Arcal Grammar School in the same county. When he was 16, Wood took part in career advice planning, which encouraged him to consider entering the diplomatic service. In 1981, Wood graduated with the degree of

B.A. (Hons) Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate education, undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally complet ...

in Modern and Medieval Languages from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he studied

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Career diplomat

Wood joined the FCO right after his graduation in 1981, working initially as Desk Officer and

Third Secretary Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seatings ...

in the Western European Department. Between 1982 and 1984, he undertook language training in Chinese in both London (at the School of Oriental and African Studies – SOAS) and at the Ministry of Defence Chinese Language School in Hong Kong.He was then seconded to the Hong Kong Government as Assistant Political Adviser, taking part in the Sino-British Negotiations regarding the

Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admini ...

. After returning to the FCO in 1987, he was assigned to the Hong Kong Department to head its Future Section, then he worked in the Security Co-ordination Department from 1989 to 1991. From 1992 to 1998, Wood worked in the Department of the Environment (subsequently the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions), where his roles included head of the European Community Branch, head of the International Air Pollution Branch, and Private Secretary to the Ministers of State (1995–1998). During his time in the Economic & Domestic Secretariat, Cabinet Office (1998–2001), he served as secretary to several Cabinet Committees including those on

Public expenditure Public expenditure is spending made by the government of a country on collective needs and wants, such as pension, provisions, security, infrastructure, etc. Until the 19th century, public expenditure was limited as laissez faire philosophies be ...

, economic affairs, environmental issues, local government and welfare reform. From 2001 to 2002, he became Head of International & Policy Team, Deputy Prime Minister’s Central Policy Group, Cabinet Office (subsequently the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister). He returned to the FCO in 2003, being posted as British Consul-General in Guangzhou from 2003–2006 and working as Director for the Americas in the FCO London from 2007–2008. He returned to China as Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Beijing from 2009–2012. He was Head of the British Trade & Cultural Office (subsequently British Office) in Taiwan from 2013 until 2016. Wood was Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to China and Mongolia from September 2016 until March 2019 when British diplomats became no longer eligible to represent the EU.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Chris 1959 births Living people British diplomats European Union diplomats Representatives of the United Kingdom to Taiwan Consuls-General of the United Kingdom in Guangzhou Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge People from Wolverhampton British officials of the European Union Consuls-General of the United Kingdom in Shanghai