Chinese people showed great sadness over the death of Yasser Arafat, who was called by President Hu Jintao "a great friend" of China, while Chinese experts on Middle East affairs have varied opinions on the prospect of peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

A file photo shows Zhao Qizheng (L), then deputy mayor of Shanghai and current minister of the State Council Information Office, hand in hand with Yasser Arafat . The file photo was taken in 1991 at Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport. (Photo source: China Daily)

From 1964 to August 2001, Arafat visited China 14 times and most Chinese became familiar with his symbolic green fatigues and sparking black-and-white kaffyeh on TV screens.

When the news of his death traveled thousands of miles from Paris to Beijing on Thursday, many Chinese felt sympathy and regret for this Palestinian Authority chairman, whom they see as a hero of national resistance.

"He is a man of courage and persistence who for decades led the Palestinians' fight for recognition of their national rights," said Pang Yong, an international news editor with Xinhua News Agency in Beijing.

"I personally admire his character very much," he added, "for his toughness and non-stop efforts towards his goal."

Pang's profession keeps him closely following the international situation every day. "This may sound political," he said, "but I do hope that after Arafat's death, there will be a smooth transition and succession in Palestine and there will be efforts to resume the peace talks."

For most Chinese, their first impression of Arafat dates back to 1980s when television sets began to become popular among Chinese households.

"He had been in the limelight for so long, since I was a child and the news of him has accompanied my growth," said Peng Longhui, 25, a middle school teacher in Central China's Hubei Province.

She said she still remembered once asking her father why Arafat always wore his military uniform with the exotic kaffyeh.

"I was told Arafat swore he would not wear suits and ties until the success of his liberation cause," she said.

Peng said it is a pity for Arafat because he didn't see the final success.

Most interviewees said they were very impressed by Arafat's years of great effort.

"I would like to say he is a hero who contributed his whole life to the liberation of his nation," said Qiu Hong, a civil servant in south China's Guangdong Province.

"His death is certainly a great loss for his people," she added, but as the world still needs to go on, she hoped there would be continued efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.

The Embassy of the State of Palestine in Beijing opened to the public on Friday, allowing them to offer their condolences to the great leader.

Hong Bo and his son Hong Siyuan bowed three times to Arafat's portrait at the embassy on Friday.

As Muslims, Hong's family has been paying close attention to the situation in the Middle East.

Were Hong's parents not too old to be able to be present, they would have come by themselves, he said.

Hong said his son, who is now 16, knew about Arafat when he was a young child.

"We come here, as my family's representatives, to show our respect to him," he said.

Arafat spent his whole life on the liberation of Palestine, which is quite arduous work, Hong said.

"He was a true warrior and never bent his knees," he said. "It is a pity he did not finish this work."

Throughout Friday, the embassy received many visitors, including diplomats, common citizens like Hong and foreigners in Beijing.

Eleih-Elle Etian, ambassador of Cameroon in Beijing, said the death of Arafat is a great loss not only for Palestine but for human kind.

His wish is that the Palestine people emerge stronger from the pain that is striking them and move forward toward the peace process in the region.

Tim Weeks, an Australian who works in Shanghai and is now taking a holiday in Beijing, said he is very sad about Arafat's death.

Weeks used to work at the Arab American University in Jenin in the north of the West Bank.

"He (Arafat) did some incredible things for the Palestinian State in his life," he said.

"He will be missed by many people around the world."

Zakaria Abdul-Rahim, ambassador of the State of Palestine said Arafat left the Palestinian people when they are in great need for him.

"Now we are more than ever in need of Chinese advice and help in order to put an end to violence against the Palestinian people and to work for resuming negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians in order to reach a peaceful settlement," he said.

On the prospect of the peace talks between Palestine and Israel, many Chinese experts have showed cautious but optimistic views.

The United States is willing to see an end to the Palestine-Israel conflict because it does not conform to US interests in the Middle East, according to Tang Zhichao, a researcher with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

However, the United States will not be in a hurry to initiate the peace process, he said.

In the short term, the Bush administration will support some mild and practical figures such as Abbas, who is now the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, as to stabilize the political situation and isolate militant group such as Hamas, according to Tang.

Another professor from the China Foreign Affairs University said that bilateral peace negotiations will be initiated in the "nearest future."

However, the professor, who prefers to be anonymous, said the basis for the talks is very very "weak" and any isolated case could cause fluctuations.

(China Daily November 13, 2004)