China's producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, went down 2.3 percent year on year in September, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Wednesday.
The decline narrowed by 0.6 percentage points from the previous month, suggesting an improvement in industrial demand amid government efforts to bolster economic growth.
On a monthly basis, the PPI held steady in September after a 2.9 percent year-on-year decrease in August, the NBS data showed.
The PPI for purchased materials by industrial producers decreased by 3.1 percent year on year, with the rate of decline narrowing by 0.9 percentage points compared to the previous month, while the month-on-month figure increased by 0.1 percent.
For the first nine months of the year, the PPI was down 2.8 percent compared to the same period in 2024 while the average purchasing prices for industrial producers fell by 3.2 percent.
Wednesday's data also showed that China's consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, was down 0.3 percent year on year in September.
China's PPI down 2.3 pct in September, narrows its fall
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with visiting Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani of the Syrian interim government in Beijing on Monday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that China pursues a foreign policy of friendship towards all Syrian people, and respects the choices made by the Syrian people independently.
He said that the two sides should respect each other's core interests, uphold non-interference in each other's internal affairs, carry forward the traditional friendship, calibrate the course of China-Syria relations, and bring the bilateral relations back to the right track.
China stands ready to work with the international community to make contributions to Syria's security and stability, Wang said.
Al-Shibani noted that Syria is firmly committed to the one-China principle and stands ready to further strengthen multilateral communication and cooperation with China.
Following the talks, the two sides released a foreign ministers' joint statement.
China, Syria pledge closer cooperation, mutual respect
China, Syria pledge closer cooperation, mutual respect
