China's consumer price index (CPI) dropped 0.3 percent in December, 2001 from a year ago, while the average CPI throughout last year was 0.7 percent higher than the previous year.
According to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Wednesday, the CPI fell 0.6 percent in urban areas and increased 0.1 percent in rural areas in December.
The NBS report said the price of food last month dropped 0.8 percent from a year ago as that of fresh vegetables fell 5 percent and the price of aquatic products dropped 2.7 percent. The price of grains remained unchanged.
However, the prices of food rose in December over the November figures, due to seasonal factors including stronger buying before the New Year's Day.
In December, the price of clothes dropped 1.7 percent over a year ago, and the price of medical care articles and that of traffic and telecommunication were both 1.2 percent down.
NBS statistics showed that the price of housing in December grew 0.7 percent over the same period of the previous year, and the price of services rose 3.8 percent.
According to the NBS, 22 of the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities surveyed witnessed a lower CPI in December over the same month of the previous year.
(People's Daily January 17, 2002)
