Despite the Iraq weapons crisis, the prime minister is attempting to keep his Far East tour on track.

Tony Blair continues his tour of Asia on Monday with a series of high-level meetings with Chinese president Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. He will also visit former president Jiang Zemin.

Blair will spend two nights in Beijing before flying on to Shanghai.

The prime minister will be joined in Beijing by a delegation of British businessmen and will personally endorse Lloyds of London's attempts to crack the potentially lucrative Chinese market.

Monday's Times newspaper reported that Jintao snubbed the prime minister's invitation for a private restaurant dinner - instead favouring a formal banquet.

The prime minister will receive an official welcome in the Great Hall of the People before having talks with political leaders.

His entourage touched down in the Chinese capital on Sunday afternoon, having left Seoul following talks with President Roh Moo-hyun.

The move to China followed an official visit to South Korea to discuss the crisis with its communist neighbour over weapons.

Blair highlighted continuing fears over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme. Speaking after talks with Moo-hyun, the prime minister said he hoped for a diplomatic solution to the crisis and highlighted "special sensitivities" that set it apart from Iraq.

While the tour is continuing to be overshadowed by the suicide of government scientist Dr David Kelly, Number 10 has decided to press on with the visits.

Top of the agenda in talks with senior Asian leaders is the tense stand off with North Korea.

On Sunday it emerged that the Pyongyang may have developed a new secret nuclear plant as part of its weapons programme.

The news has prompted further international concern and will have further strained relations between the secretive North Korean regime and the US administration.

But Blair insisted that the crisis could be solved peacefully. He said he hoped for a diplomatic solution to the crisis and highlighted "special sensitivities" that set it apart from Iraq.

"We want to resolve the issue of North Korea and its nuclear weapons programme and the export of nuclear weapons technology, by peaceful and constructive dialogue," he told reporters.