Photo: CFP
China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, was up 0.3 percent year-on-year in April, the National Bureau of Statistics unveiled on Saturday, adding more positive signs to the country's upbeat economy performance since the first quarter of the year.
Data showed clear signs that the consumption-driven recovery is being maintained from demand to production, laying the foundation for a strong recovery, analysts noted.
Dong Lijuan, statistician from the NBS, pointed out that continuous consumption recovery reversed the 1-percent drop in CPI from March on a monthly basis, and further expanded growth on an annual basis.
General food prices were down by 1 percent, narrowing by 2.2 percentage points from the reading in March. Prices of vegetables, meats, fruits and eggs declined due to sufficient supply, according to the NBS.
Non-food prices recorded a 0.3 percent increase, bouncing back from a 0.5-percent fall in March on monthly basis. Benefiting from holidays, non-food consumer prices, including flight tickets, vehicle rental, hotel and tourism products, reported a clear increase in prices.
Core CPI, deducting for food and energy prices, was up 0.7 percent year-on-year last month, expanding 0.1 percentage point from March, according to the NBS.
Meanwhile, China's producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, dipped 2.5 percent year on year in April, narrowing by 0.3 percentage point from the drop in March. Dong noted that the country's industrial operation is keeping recovering, while some industries saw a seasonal drop in demand.
Other economic indicators also showed that the world's second-largest economy remains on a steady recovery trend.
China's trade in goods in the first fourth months of 2024 recorded an increase of 5.7 percent year-on-year to reach 13.81 trillion yuan ($1.91 trillion), data from China's General Administration of Customs showed on Thursday.
Notably, in April alone, China's imports and exports reached 3.64 trillion yuan, rising 8 percent year-on-year. Exports stood at 2.08 trillion yuan with a year-on-year growth of 5.1 percent, while imports surged by 12.2 percent year-on-year to reach 1.56 trillion yuan, thanks to improving overseas demand as well as strengthening domestic consumption demand.
Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of the digital-real economies integration Forum 50, told the Global Times on Saturday that data for China's foreign trade and domestic economic indicators were correlated, which all pointed to an encouraging link between demand and production.
"The current 0.3 percent growth in CPI is positive, while relatively moderate. It has shown a strong momentum for a further improvement in production, which also needs supports from policy and market players," Hu noted.
Li Changan, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies of the University of International Business and Economics, pointed out that the nation's economy is still facing challenges, and needs more support to boost consumption and market investment.
Policymakers have vowed to further step up policy measures to further consolidate the recovery. A meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee noted that the economy has secured a good start this year, and urged to front-load efforts to effectively put the established macro policies in place, and well implement a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy, according to Xinhua.
2024年5月11日，中国国家统计局公布数据显示，4月份全国居民消费价格指数（CPI）同比上涨0.3%，显示出需求的稳步回升。这一数据表明，自今年第一季度以来，中国经济表现持续向好，消费驱动的复苏得以保持。
具体来看，4月份的CPI同比上涨0.3%，扭转了3月份的1%月度降幅，并进一步扩大了年度增长。国家统计局统计师董丽娟指出，持续的消费复苏是这一变化的主要原因。食品价格总体下降1%，比3月份的降幅缩小了2.2个百分点，蔬菜、肉类、水果和鸡蛋的价格由于供应充足而有所下降。非食品价格则录得0.3%的增长，反弹自3月份的0.5%的降幅，假期期间，机票、车辆租赁、酒店和旅游产品的价格明显上涨。
扣除食品和能源价格后的核心CPI同比上涨0.7%，比3月份增加了0.1个百分点。同时，中国的工业生产者出厂价格指数（PPI）同比下降2.5%，比3月份的降幅收窄0.3个百分点。董丽娟指出，尽管部分行业出现了季节性需求下降，但总体工业运行仍在持续恢复。
其他经济指标也显示出中国经济的稳步复苏趋势。2024年前四个月，中国货物贸易同比增长5.7%，达到13.81万亿元人民币（约1.91万亿美元）。其中，4月份单月的进出口总额达到了3.64万亿元，同比增长8%。出口总额为2.08万亿元，同比增长5.1%；进口总额为1.56万亿元，同比增长12.2%，这得益于海外需求的改善和国内消费需求的增强。
数字经济融合论坛50副秘书长胡启木对《环球时报》表示，中国的外贸数据和国内经济指标之间存在关联，所有数据都指向了需求与生产之间的积极联系。他认为，当前0.3%的CPI增长虽然适中，但显示出生产进一步改善的强劲势头，需要政策和市场参与者的支持。
国际经济贸易大学中国开放经济研究院教授李长安指出，尽管经济复苏良好，但仍面临挑战，需要更多的政策支持以促进消费和市场投资。决策者已承诺进一步加强政策措施以巩固复苏。中共中央政治局会议指出，今年经济开局良好，强调要加大力度落实既定的宏观政策，实施积极的财政政策和稳健的货币政策。
