Prices in China fell less sharply in May than a year ago, official data showed on Wednesday, fuelling hopes that the government's stimulus measures are beginning to help ease deflationary pressures.
The consumer price index fell 1.4 per cent last month from a year earlier, compared with a 1.5 per cent decline in April, marking the fourth straight month of falling prices. On a month-on-month basis, the National Bureau of Statistics said the CPI dropped 0.3 per cent from April's level.
The decline in food prices eased significantly, from 1.3 per cent in April to 0.6 per cent in May. Prices of non-food items, however, fell 1.7 per cent last month, more than April's 1.5 per cent.