China’s consumer prices fell for the third straight month in April, underscoring ongoing deflationary pressures as the government struggles to jumpstart domestic demand and navigate a deepening trade standoff with the United States.
Data released Saturday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) dipped 0.1 percent year-on-year, matching Bloomberg’s forecast and mirroring March’s decline. This marks the latest sign of economic strain in the world’s second-largest economy, which continues to grapple with weak consumer spending, a stagnant property sector, and slowing exports.
NBS statistician Dong Lijuan attributed the persistent price drops to external headwinds, noting that “international imported factors have a certain downward impact on prices in some industries.”
The figures come at a critical moment, just hours before top Chinese and U.S. economic officials meet in Switzerland for talks that could signal a shift or escalation in the trade war originally ignited under the Trump administration.
Since the onset of the dispute, U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports have ballooned to as high as 245 percent on some goods, severely affecting China’s manufacturing and export sectors.
Despite government stimulus efforts and policy easing, China’s economy continues to struggle to regain pre-pandemic momentum. Analysts warn that without a significant rebound in domestic consumption or a thaw in international trade tensions, sustained recovery could remain elusive.
