China's CPI up 1.9 pct in December

 
China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 1.9 percent year on year in December, down from 2.2 percent for November, the National Bureau of Statistics said Thursday.
 
The increase was at the lowest level since June 2018.
 
Food prices rose 2.5 percent year-on-year, contributing 0.48 percentage points to the overall CPI growth, the bureau said.
 
Prices for medical products and services rose 2.5 percent year on year, educational, cultural and entertainment prices rose 2.3 percent while housing-related prices rose 2.2 percent, official data showed.
 
Oil prices eased in December. Prices for gasoline and diesel dipped 0.5 percent and 0.3 percent year on year, respectively, compared with the 12.8-percent and 14.2-percent gains in November 2018.
 
On a month-on-month basis, the December CPI remained unchanged from the previous month.