Middle East crisis live: UN chief calls for Israel-Lebanon ceasefire to be ‘fully’ respected as it comes into effect

António Guterres welcomes truce and says through spokesperson he hopes halt in fighting will ‘pave the way for negotiations’

Trade data from Beijing this week, and anecdotal information from Chinese manufacturers, indicates the energy shock from the Middle East crisis and higher commodity prices are increasing production costs in the world’s biggest manufacturing country.

Before the war between the US and Israel, and Iran, China’s export sector was performing strongly, having weathered US President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes by targeting new markets and achieving a record trade surplus last year.

But overseas orders are now slowing at the same time as the cost of plastic, copper and aluminium is surging, according to manufacturers who spoke to Reuters this week’s at China’s largest trade exhibition, the Canton Fair.

The US president, Donald Trump, has posted a short statement on Truth Social about the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.