China inflation almost at a three-year high
Consumer inflation on the mainland reached its highest in 34 months in December while producer deflation eased, data from the National Statistics Bureau (NBS) showed on Friday. The consumer price index rose 0.8 percent in December from a year earlier, following a 0.7 percent increase in November. The growth was mainly driven by food prices, especially for vegetables and beef, which jumped 18.2 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively, according to the NBS. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and fuel prices, climbed 1.2 percent, on a par with the rise in November. For the whole year, consumer prices were unchanged. Friday's data also showed that the producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, went down 1.9 percent year on year in December, with the decline narrowing from a 2.2-percent decrease in November. For the full year of 2025, the PPI declined 2.6 percent. (Additional reporting by Xinhua)