Political Controversy Over Death of British Man in China

April 11, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

The wife of a senior Chinese Communist Party politician has been named as a suspect in the murder of Neil Heywood, a British businessman found dead in a hotel in Chongqing last November. Bo Xilai, the former party chief in Chongqing, has been suspended from both the politburo and the central committee and the decision to name his wife, Gu Kailai, as a murder suspect is likely to rattle leadership succession plans.

(more) (less)

In This Video

Bo Xilai

Bo Xilai is a former Chinese politician. He came to prominence through his tenures as the mayor of Dalian and then governor of Liaoning province. From 2004 to November 2007, he served as Minister of Commerce. Between 2007 and 2012 he served as a member of the Central Politburo... Explore this topic

Neil Heywood

Neil Heywood was a British businessman who worked in China. He was associated with Bo Xilai, the former Communist Party of China Committee Secretary for Chongqing and a member of the Chinese Politburo. Heywood was found dead in his hotel room in Chongqing, and the initial offi... Explore this topic

China

China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a sovereign state located in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.35 billion. The PRC is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party, with its seat of government in the cap... Explore this topic

Gu Kailai

Gu Kailai is the wife of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai. On August 20, 2012 she was found guilty of the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood and given a death sentence, suspended for two years. Her sentence is expected to be commuted to life imprisonment. Explore this topic

Central Committee

Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the 20th century and of the surviving states in the early 21st century. In such party organizations the commi... Explore this topic

Chongqing

Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities in the People's Republic of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities, and the only such municipality in inland China. The municipality was crea... Explore this topic

Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China, also known as the Chinese Communist Party, is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China. Although nominally it exists alongside the United Front, a coalition of governing political parties, in practice, the CPC is t... Explore this topic

Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China

The Central Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Communist Party of China. It is believed that the committee meets once a week and makes decisions by consensus. Each member has a portfolio covering ... Explore this topic

President of the People's Republic of China

The President of the People's Republic of China is the head of state of the People's Republic of China. The President functions as a ceremonial figurehead, elected by the National People's Congress, as set out by the 1982 Constitution. The presidency is a state organ instead o... Explore this topic

Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human, and generally this premeditated state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide. As the loss of a human being inflicts enormous grief upon the individuals close to the victim, ... Explore this topic

Also See

Bo Xilai

Neil Heywood

China

Watch Next

4:31

Post-Purge, Uncensored Anti-Bo Sentiment Floods Weibo

LinkAsia | Oct 5

When former Chongqing mayor and rising Communist Party star Bo Xilai was first indicted for corruption and abuse of power, his name and all associa...