Global leaders welcome US-Iran truce, urging lasting solution in Middle East

World leaders on Wednesday welcomed a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, urging swift diplomacy to turn the truce into a lasting end to the war in the Middle East.

After some 40 days of deadly clashes, the United States and Iran on Wednesday agreed to pause the fighting, and to begin a new round of peace consultations in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, on Friday.

Backing the ceasefire, the European Council issued a joint statement endorsed by 10 Western leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

"We welcome the two-week ceasefire concluded between the United States and Iran today. The goal must now be to negotiate a swift and lasting end to the war within the coming days. This can only be achieved through diplomatic means," the statement said.

The statement highlighted the need to protect civilians, safeguard regional security and avert a global energy crisis. It also warned that the ceasefire's credibility could be undermined by continued fighting in Lebanon, after Israel said the truce did not cover its campaign against Hezbollah.

"We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon," the statement read.

The European leaders' statement also warned that continued fighting in Lebanon threatened the credibility of the ceasefire. Spain and France moved quickly to press Israel to halt its campaign there.

"All fronts must cease," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told National Radio of Spain on Wednesday, noting the U.S.-Iran truce did not address Lebanon. He condemned Israel's invasion of a sovereign country, attacks on UN peacekeepers, including Spanish troops, and indiscriminate bombings of Beirut civilians.

"It is unacceptable that the invasion of a sovereign country, attacks on United Nations peacekeeping forces -- the blue helmets, where Spanish troops are carrying out commendable work -- and indiscriminate bombings against the civilian population in Beirut continue," Albares said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media that he spoke with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and U.S. President Donald Trump after the ceasefire announcement, urging all belligerents, including in Lebanon, to respect the truce.

In another post, Macron said he also called Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, condemning Israeli airstrikes that killed large numbers of civilians and warning they directly threatened the ceasefire's sustainability. He stressed Lebanon’s territorial integrity must be preserved and pledged France’s support for sovereignty and disarmament efforts.

Global leaders welcome US-Iran truce, urging lasting solution in Middle East

China's consumer goods industry got off to a good start in 2026, with main indicators registering steady growth in the first two months, according to the data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The value added of enterprises above the designated size -- whose annual main business income reaches 20 million yuan (about 2.93 million U.S. dollars) or more -- in this sector increased by 4.8 percent year on year in January and February, accounting for 29.2 percent of the total value added, 3.1 percentage points higher than that of last year. Among the 14 major industry categories, 10 achieved positive growth.

In the two months, these enterprises achieved a business revenue of approximately 5.1 trillion yuan, up 4.4 percent year on year, while the total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 8.6 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 percent.

"The first two months were in the traditional peak consumption season, driving the growth of orders and helping to unleash production capacity in the consumer goods industry. Some emerging consumption patterns, such as experience consumption and trendy toy consumption, grew rapidly, and the supply market showed a diversified growth trend," said Dai Xiaoxia, deputy director of the Institute of Consumer Goods Industry Research of China Center for Information Industry Development.

In terms of foreign trade, exporters above the designated size delivered consumer goods worth around 592.54 billion yuan, up 2.2 percent year on year, with the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, the papermaking and paper products industry registering relatively rapid growth.

China will increase the supply of high-quality products in the consumer goods industry, steadily promoting the intelligent, green and integrated development of the sector.

China's consumer goods industry posts steady growth in first 2 months