China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose mildly by 0.3 percent year on year in the first nine months of the year, the National Bureau of Statistics said Sunday.
The overall three-quarter increase of the index was higher than that of the same period last year, according to official data.
In the period, food prices dropped by 1.2 percent year on year, while nonfood prices went up 0.6 percent year on year.
Zhang Xuewu, director of the Analysis and Forecasting Department of Price Monitoring Center of the National Development and Reform Commission, attributed the CPI growth in the first three quarters mainly to price hikes of energy and services.
"In terms of energy prices, the international crude oil price has gone up and then down this year, with the average price in the first three quarters higher than that in the same period last year. This has led to the growth in domestic gasoline and diesel prices. The prices of catering, tourism and household services have increased to varying degrees as domestic demands pick up, driving the overall growth in services prices. Food prices continued to drop in the first half of the year due to ample supply and smooth links between production and sales. Since the beginning of the third quarter, food prices have gradually reversed the downturn, but the overall trend of the first three quarters is still negative," Zhang said.
In September, China's CPI remained flat month on month and rose by 0.4 percent year on year, which is slightly lower than the growth rate in August.
Experts said that with existing policies continuing to produce effect and new policies being rolled out at a faster pace, China's economic recovery is expected to gain stronger momentum in the last quarter of the year.
China's CPI rises mildly in first three quarters
The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has warned of the devastating toll on children amid the Middle East escalation, as cross‑border strikes, bombardments and mass displacement have turned the conflict into one of the region's most severe humanitarian crises in decades.
More than 2,100 children have been killed or injured since the military escalation in the Middle East, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said at the UN headquarters in New York City on Monday.
Twenty‑three days into the escalating conflict, children in Iran, Lebanon, Israel and Kuwait are paying a devastating price, Chaiban said, adding that a further descent into a wider or protracted conflict would be catastrophic for millions more.
"This includes 206 children killed in Iran and 118 in Lebanon. Four children killed in Israel and one in Kuwait," Chaiban said.
Alongside the dead and wounded, there has been rapid displacement across several countries, driven by relentless bombardment and evacuation orders that have emptied communities, he said.
In Iran, the UN Refugee Agency estimated that up to 3.2 million people have been displaced, including up to 864,000 children, while in Lebanon, more than 1 million people are displaced, including an estimated 370,000 children, Chaiban said.
"Under international humanitarian law, civilians must be protected at all times. Schools are not targets. Hospitals are not targets. Children are not targets," he said.
UNICEF has been providing food, water and health supplies to families in shelters, Chaiban said.
In light of the situation in the Middle East, he called on all parties to the conflict to fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and to ensure safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid.
He also urged the international community to provide immediate financial support for aid efforts.
Over 2,100 children killed or injured since escalation in Mideast conflict: UN
