(MENAFN) The Chinese government said inflation was steady at 1.4 percent in March, giving policymakers further space for monetary stimulate as they try to manage the economic slowdown, Oman Observer reported.
The consumer price index (CPI) reading for last month was the same as February, when it rose from January's more than five-year low and slightly better than an average forecast of 1.3 percent.
Economists have previously expressed concerns about the risk of deflation in China, especially after January's slump in consumer inflation to 0.8 percent, the lowest since November 2009.
"Consumer price inflation held steady in March, but we expect a drop in food price inflation to pull it lower over the coming months," China economist at Capital Economics said.
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