China's H1 price levels remain stable amid steady economic momentum

Consumers shop at a supermarket in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 9, 2026. The consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 1 percent year on year in the first six months of 2026, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed. In June alone, the CPI gained 1 percent year on year and edged down 0.3 percent month on month, with the core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, increasing by 1 percent year on year, continuing the moderate upward trend. (Photo by Meng Delong/Xinhua)