BEIJING -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair found little respite Tuesday from his mounting problems, facing a tough grilling from Chinese students before heading into the political crisis engulfing Hong Kong.

As he pushed on with his loop through Asia amid plummeting popularity at home, Blair was tackled on war in Iraq and scientist David Kelly's apparent suicide by students at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University.

He appeared to be caught off guard when a female student asked him how he felt when he learned that Kelly had died and how he thought he would get through the crisis and regain the British public's trust.

"This is a desperately sad time for the family of Dr. Kelly and his funeral's not been held yet, and I don't want to say more about this situation except to say there will be a proper independent inquiry into what happened," said Blair.

Kelly's suicide last week has overshadowed Blair's diplomatic marathon that has already taken him through Washington, Tokyo and Seoul.

He promised Monday to "cooperate fully" with a judicial investigation into the death of the former UN arms inspector at the center of allegations that Downing Street exaggerated the threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Another student at the university's Economics and Management Faculty wanted to know how he could justify the war in Iraq and whether he regretted making the decision to order in troops.

"No, I don't regret it," he said. "No matter how difficult it was it was the right thing to do. I took that decision because I thought it was right for my country and the world and I still think it is so I have to stand by my decisions."

Blair has been given statesman-like treatment by China's top leaders and the questions from about 90 students of law, journalism, science, economics and engineering were unexpectedly tough.

But the British premier took it in his stride, saying it was important that the world's leaders were questioned on their actions.

Blair heads to Shanghai later Tuesday where he will stroll along the Bund and hold meetings with business leaders before heading to former British colony Hong Kong for meetings with embattled Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa.

In his meetings with Chinese leaders Monday, Blair made it clear that a decision to re-examine Hong Kong's controversial anti-sedition law was "sensible".

"And I think that the fact that that has been supported by the Chinese authorities here indicates that they are sensitive to the need to maintain the 'one country, two systems' principle," he told AFP.

"You know also that there are proposals to move towards great democracy in Hong Kong. Obviously we support that. "And I hope very much, and I will know this better once I have direct talks in Hong Kong, but I hope very much that we can get that process of change back on track."

The Hong Kong government decided to re-examine the Article 23 anti-sedition legislation after 500,000 people in Hong Kong marched in protest against it on July 1.

Britain and China sealed Hong Kong's fate when they signed a Joint Declaration in December 1984, setting July 1997 as the date for its return to Chinese sovereignty.

It was promised control over most of its own affairs for 50 years, but many feel the sweeping nature of the anti-sedition law was too great a threat to civil liberties.

Blair is on his second official visit to China and the first by a major Western leader since the demise of this year's SARS outbreak.