China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose by 2.1 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2018, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Wednesday.
"From January to September, modest gains can be witnessed despite slight fluctuations. CPI edged up 2.1 percent and is close to those of major economies from the likes of the US, Japan, and European Union," said Meng Wei, spokesperson for the NBS.
"The monthly moves are also relatively stable, the year-on-year increase in CPI of each month this year has showcased normal trend between 1.8 percent and 2.9 percent", he added.
The rise in CPI of September has close bearing on seasonal factors which contributed 63.5 percent to month-on-month growth.
Resulting mostly from extreme weather and seasonal changes, on a month-on-month basis, the vegetables saw a surge of 9.8 percent in price, and the figure for fresh fruits reached up to 6.4 percent. The prices of pork and chicken China's staple meat also went up by 3.7 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.
Judging from Core CPI excluding energy and food prices, price movements have been hitherto kept on a steady trajectory, with a year-over-year acceleration of two percent during the January-September period, down 0.1 percent from a year ago.
The year-on-year rise in Core CPI for September stands at 1.7 percent and hits a two-year low, indicating no inflation risks in the economy.
