A surge in global demand has set Yiwu's manufacturing and logistics chain running at full speed this spring, with factories and shippers all working overtime to meet orders bound for markets worldwide.
Many manufacturers in Yiwu, an eastern Chinese city known as "the world’s supermarket," reported a steady rise in orders in the first quarter of 2026.
Among them are sports goods makers racing to deliver ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America.
"In the first two months alone, we sent about four containers of goods. Orders have gradually come in from South America and Africa, and the current orders can keep our production running through May," said Wu Xiaoming, general manager of a sports firm in Yiwu.
At Yiwu's bonded zone, customs brokers swiftly checked documents to ensure exports reach global markets fast.
"Today's shipments mainly are kitchenware, tableware and small home appliances. They are mainly bound for Germany and Spain," said Fu Jianying, a customs broker.
Yiwu has now linked 26 international rail freight routes, building a logistics network that covers more than 160 cities in about 50 countries. With smooth transport, creative design and strong manufacturing capacity, the city's cross-border trade is accelerating, underscoring its role as a hub of global small commodities.
Yiwu cross‑border trade gains speed this spring
Iran's Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simaei-Sarraf on Saturday condemned the United States and Israel for attacking Iranian academic institutions and research facilities, saying that more than 30 universities across the country have been directly targeted since the war started in late February.
The official made the condemnation when speaking to reporters at the site of the damaged Shahid Beheshti University in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Simaei-Sarraf said five university professors and more than 60 students had been killed in the strikes so far, describing attacks on Iranian infrastructure as "crimes against humanity."
Those killed include Saeed Shamghadri, an associate professor at the Iran University of Science and Technology. "Since the war started, five university professors, including Professor Shamghadri, and more than 60 university students have been killed. As I mentioned before, more than 30 universities in Iran have been attacked. It is unbelievable that in an era when democratic values, rights, international law, and human rights are being promoted, the most obvious of these rights are being trampled, violated, and attacked," said Simaei-Sarraf.
An U.S.-Israeli air raid hit the laser and plasma research center of the Shahid Beheshti University on Friday, destroying the interior of the entire building and shattering all the windows. The force of the strike also shattered almost all the windows on another building about 100 meters away from the explosion site.
A researcher at the university said it is incomprehensible that such a facility could become a target of attacks.
"You can see that there's neither any military personnel or military activity here. This is a place where only research was being conducted. Why did it become a target of attacks? What was the motive for this crime?" Azimi, the researcher, said in an interview with China Media Group.
Since the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran started, the Iranian government has repeatedly denounced the two countries for targeting the country's academic institutions and research facilities, calling such attacks serious war crimes.
Iranian official condemns U.S.-Israeli strikes on universities
