The AP’s Joe McDonald reports from Beijing:
China’s inflation rebounded in April to near decade-high levels, adding to pressure on Beijing to cool rapid price rises and avert possible unrest ahead of the Summer Olympics, according to official data reported Monday.
Consumer prices in April were up 8.5 percent compared with the same month last year, the National Statistics Bureau reported. That was up from March’s 8.3 percent rate and just short of February’s 8.7 percent, the highest inflation rate in nearly 12 years.
Prices have jumped since mid-2007, driven by rises in food costs that hit 22.1 percent in April. The government has been trying to cool price rises for pork, grain and other items by increasing supplies and has imposed price controls on basic goods.
