British diplomats in China will attend the trial for the wife of the deposed leader Bo Xilai on August 9, said Saturday the Foreign Office.
“We can confirm that British diplomats will be present at the trial of Gu Kailai,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.
It is common for Chinese authorities to refuse the presence of foreign diplomats to trial.
“The details of the ongoing investigation are the responsibility of the Chinese authorities,” the ministry said in a statement. “However we are pleased that the Chinese authorities are continuing investigations into the death of Neil Heywood. We are committed to seeking justice for him and his family and we will follow closely the developments of the case,” added the Foreign Office.
British businessman Neil Heywood was found dead in a hotel room in Chongqing last November. Gu Kailai, a successful lawyer, wife of Bo Xilai, former General Secretary of the Communist Party in the megacity of Chongqing, will be judged on August 9 in Hefei.