UK welcomes China probe into Heywood death

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Tuesday he welcomed China's announcements on its investigation into the death of UK businessman Neil Heywood in China.

"It is a death that needs to be investigated in its own terms, on its own merits without political considerations," Hague told BBC television.

"I hope they will go about it in that way and I welcome the announcement they will have an investigation."

Chinese state media said earlier on Tuesday the Communist Party had suspended former high-flying politician Bo Xilai from its top ranks and named his wife, Gu Kailai, as a suspect in investigations into the murder of Heywood. Heywood, 41, who had ties to Bo's family, was found dead in a hotel in Chongquing, southwest China, last November. His death was at first officially attributed to alcohol consumption.