Consumer inflation dips as demand weakens

Slow going: A vendor waits for customers in Shenyang, China. The government is still trying to reignite demand in the world’s second-largest economy. — AFP

Beijing: China’s consumer prices slipped below zero for the first time in three months but factory deflation showed signs of easing, as the government cracks down on excessive competition and overcapacity.

The consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.4% last month from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said yesterday.