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Economist: Core CPI is still safe

By Hao Zhou (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-11-14 14:22

The sizzling consumer price index (CPI) is primarily driven by foodstuff prices and does not signal full-round inflation, said Yao Yingyuan, general economist from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), according to Xinhuanet.com.

Related readings:  CPI up 6.5% on rising food prices  CPI reaches 6.5%, rate hike likely  CPI rebounds to highest level in 11 years  Investment banks: October CPI likely to top 6.8%

China's CPI in October rebounded to 6.5 percent, as the 11th year high, in August this year, although the inflation gauge was 6.2 percent in September.

Yao said only five of the eight consumer prices categories accounted by the NBS were on the rise in recent months, and only foodstuff prices were soaring due to structural growth.

"The best indicator of inflation is a comprehensive rise in consumer prices. We therefore haven’t run into full-scale inflation yet," Yao said.

However, it is unlikely the CPI will go down within a short period, Yao added. He predicted CPI in the last two months this year will continue down a tightrope, but yearly growth will be restrained as CPI in November and December last year were also high.