The UK asked China to investigate the death of a British citizen in November last year in Chongqing, the southernwestern muncipality that was run by politburo member Bo Xilai (薄熙來) until his ouster earlier this month.
Britain’s embassy in Beijing earlier this year asked the Chinese government to investigate Neil Heywood’s death after first being told he died from drinking too much alcohol, embassy spokesman John Gallagher said by telephone.
He said that “sometime after the death there were rumors and suspicions, and we were told of these suspicions, and once those rumors became more numerous,” the inquiry was requested.
News of the request comes amid speculation over the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) reasons for removing Bo from his post in Chongqing, one of the largest Chinese metropolitan regions. The party is seeking to engineer a stable succession of national leadership as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) and President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) are scheduled to retire this year.
Wang Lijun (王立軍), the former Chongqing police chief, brought evidence to Bo suggesting that Heywood was poisoned, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Wang later spent a night at a US consulate and is now subject of a government investigation.
Heywood had business links with Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai (谷開來), the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the case it did not identify. The newspaper said Heywood apparently did not drink alcohol.
Bo, 62, remains a member of the politburo and was until recently considered a candidate for inclusion in the Politburo Standing Committee, the group that exercises supreme power in China. Bo was removed as Chongqing CCP secretary on March 15.
Gallagher did not specify whether the UK request was made before or after Wang’s Feb. 6 and Feb. 7 stay at the US consulate in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. He said China agreed to look into the case.
Britain’s Chongqing consulate was informed of Heywood’s death in November and provided consular services for his family, Gallagher said.
China’s foreign ministry didn’t immediately reply to a faxed request for comment on the case.
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