Arafat will travel later on to the seaside resort of Beidaihe, about 300 kilometers east of Beijing, for discussions with Chinese leaders on the Middle East peace process.

The Palestinian president is coming to China "for the special purpose of briefing the Chinese side on the latest development of the peace process," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on the eve of the visit.

Arafat, who is on international tour to drum up support for the Palestinian stance in the talks with Israel and its statehood declaration scheduled for September 13, has visited 20 countries, including some Islamic and European nations, following the fail of the Camp David talks.

(Xinhua)