China inflation stays low as growth sputters
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BEIJING: Chinese inflation came in flat again in May, official figures showed Friday (Jun 9), as the country's economy sputters owing to softening demand and falling exports, leading to calls for a rate cut and a bigger government stimulus.
The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.2 per cent on-year, from 0.1 per cent in April, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.
The figure was in line with expectations of analysts polled by Bloomberg.
Beijing has kept interest rates low compared to other major economies, but the near-zero inflation highlights challenges faced by policymakers as they try to stimulate the economy.
Top economist and government adviser Liu Yuanchun on Thursday called for regulators to cut borrowing costs further to ease the financing burden of small and medium-sized private businesses.
