China's consumer price index up 1.3% in May

Supply constraints: Customers shop at an open-air market in Guangzhou, China. The CPI reading picked up as food prices rose. ― Bloomberg

SHANGHAI: China’s consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, grew 1.3% year-on-year (y-o-y) last month, up from 0.9% in April, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said yesterday.

The CPI reading picked up as food prices rose amid a tight supply of freshwater fish and eggs, while non-food prices increased with transportation costs elevated by rising international crude oil prices, the NBS said.