China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 0.2 percent year on year in 2024, said a Chinese official in Beijing on Friday.
Kang Yi, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), released the data at a press conference on the performance of the country's economy in 2024, held by the State Council Information Office.
"In 2024, the CPI rose by 0.2 percent over the previous year. Grouped by commodity categories, prices for food, tobacco and alcohol dipped by 0.1 percent; clothing were up by 1.4 percent; housing up by 0.1 percent; articles and services for daily use up by 0.5 percent; transportation and communication down by 1.9 percent; education, culture and recreation up by 1.5 percent; medical services and health care up by 1.3 percent; and other articles and services up by 3.8 percent," said Kang.
In further breakdown, prices for fresh fruits and grain went down by 3.5 percent and 0.1 percent, while prices of fresh vegetables and pork rose 5 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively.
Core CPI excluding the prices of food and energy edged up by 0.5 percent. In December, the CPI went up by 0.1 percent year on year, on par with last month.
In contrast, prices for industrial products saw a moderate decline.
"In 2024, the producer prices and purchasing prices for industrial products both edged down by 2.2 percent year on year. In December, the producer prices and purchasing prices for industrial products both declined by 2.3 percent year on year, or down by 0.1 percent month on month," said the official.
China's Consumer Price Index up 0.2 pct in 2024
China's Consumer Price Index up 0.2 pct in 2024
The second round of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States concluded in Geneva on Tuesday, with new talks to be scheduled.
The negotiations, held at Oman's embassy in the Swiss city, were mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi.
U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner represented Washington in the negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi led a "diplomatic and specialized" delegation to the talks.
Albusaidi said on social media platform X that Tuesday's talks concluded with "good progress" towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues. He added that "much work is yet to be done, and the parties left with clear next steps before the next meeting."
Araghchi told Iranian media after the talks that the talks were held in a more "constructive" atmosphere compared to the previous round in Oman.
"Different ideas were proposed and seriously discussed, and, eventually, we managed to reach a general agreement on a series of guiding principles, based on which we will henceforth move on and enter the text of a possible agreement," he said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that the current talks with the United States are being conducted under the coordination and approval of the Supreme Leader.
He said the purpose of negotiations with Washington is to resolve issues seriously, not to engage in dialogue for the sake of dialogue.
He added that Iran earnestly seeks tangible results and hopes the process will lead to concrete outcomes.
The U.S. said some details require further discussion, Axios cited a U.S. official as saying. Iran is expected to return with detailed proposals in the next two weeks.
Speaking at the Plenary Meeting of the Conference on Disarmament held in Geneva, Araghchi said that "a new window of opportunity has opened" after today's talks with the U.S.
He expressed hope that the negotiation will lead to a sustainable solution which can serve the interests of relevant parties and the broader region.
He also reiterated that Iran remains fully prepared to defend itself against any threats or act of aggression.
After the talks began, Iran announced a temporary closure in parts of the Strait of Hormuz to comply with safety and shipping principles in its live fire drill "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz."
After Trump returned to office in 2025 and revived a "maximum pressure" policy on Iran, five additional rounds of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran that year failed to bridge core differences. The first round of talks in Oman's Muscat on Feb. 6 this year was described by both sides as a "good start" but yielded no visible breakthrough.
2nd round of Iran-U.S. talks concludes, new talks to be scheduled
