Chen's family background -- his father was a specialist in Southeast Asian history at National Taiwan University and his mother was the daughter of a high-ranking Vietnamese scholar -- made him multilingual from an early age. The family also moved often, giving Chen broad experience.
"It was in Vietnam that I first became acquainted with French education," Chen said. "I spent two years at two different Catholic schools where French was the language of instruction." He continued his study of the language at a variety of French overseas schools after his father moved to Hong Kong in 1962.
Now, as a member of one of one of the world's most outstanding diplomatic services, Chen has reason to be pleased. "I must say I was amazed at finding myself in the heart of one of the world's most prestigious foreign service organizations," Chen said. "I also enjoy seeing the initial surprise on the faces of Asian journalists when they visit our department in Paris for briefings. For many of the Japanese and Chinese reporters, to be greeted by someone like me speaking their native tongue was unbelievable to them."
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