She apparently poisoned him with cyanide last November in a hotel room in Chongqing, the region of which her husband was then party chief.

ECONOMIST: Chinese justice

The survey polled U.S. run businesses in Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan provinces, as well as in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Chongqing.

FORBES: American Businesses In China To Increase Investments By 21%

When Wang Lijun, the former police chief of the region of Chongqing, sought shelter at an American consulate last month, the story broke fast on microblogs.

ECONOMIST: The power of microblogs

People familiar with the matter say that British officials in the region were aware of Mr. Heywood's close ties to Mr. Bo, who was the Chongqing Communist Party chief and a political rising star, as the Briton had advised many British businesses, attended embassy functions in Beijing and participated in meetings with British business and political figures.

WSJ: U.K. Officials in China Expressed Early Concern About Death