China's CPI up 0.7 pct in October

China

China's CPI up 0.7 pct in October

2026-11-09 10:35 Last Updated At：16:41

China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 0.7 percent year on year in October, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Monday.

On a monthly basis, the CPI was unchanged, according to the NBS. In the first 10 months of 2026, consumer prices rose 0.9 percent from a year earlier.

The year-on-year increase in October was mainly driven by higher non-food prices, which rose 1.5 percent, while food prices fell 2.9 percent, weighing on overall inflation.

Food, tobacco, alcohol and dining out prices declined 1.6 percent year on year, dragging down the CPI by 0.48 percentage points. Fresh vegetable prices dropped 16.9 percent and pork prices fell 8.6 percent, while egg prices rose 10.1 percent.

Among the other seven categories, six saw year-on-year price increases and one saw a decline. Transportation and communication prices led the gains with a 5.5 percent increase, followed by health care at 2.4 percent and other supplies and services at 1.8 percent. Housing-related costs fell 0.3 percent.

On a month-on-month basis, food, tobacco, alcohol and dining out prices fell 0.5 percent, dragging down the CPI by 0.16 percentage points. Transportation and communication, education, culture and recreation, and health care prices rose 1.0 percent, 0.3 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.

An industry observer said supply and demand changes have led to the product price changes.

"By category, improved inter-regional transport capacity for fresh vegetables and fruits has ensured ample supply, leading to year-on-year price declines for both. Egg-laying hens restocked earlier have gradually entered peak production, while egg consumption has moved into the off-season. As a result, egg prices fell month-on-month and the year-on-year increase narrowed. Meanwhile, growing demand for elderly care, childcare, housekeeping and other lifestyle services has pushed up household service prices. Overall, prices of daily necessities and services rose year-on-year," said He Xiaoying, deputy director at the analysis and forecasting division of the price monitoring center under the National Development and Reform Commission.

Shenzhen's drone delivery push offers glimpse of low-altitude economy's potential

In Shenzhen, a city at the forefront of China's low-altitude economy ambitions, even ordering a cold drink can turn into a test of technological prowess and a window into how unmanned aerial vehicles are beginning to reshape urban logistics.

At Talent Park, an unusual vending machine delivers orders by drone, part of the southern Chinese tech hub's expanding experiment with unmanned aerial delivery.

China Global Television Network (CGTN) Travelogue hosts Alex McCutcheon and Jack Klumpp decided to put the technology to the test against the city's famously fast scooter-riding couriers, ordering drinks from the same shop to see which would arrive first.

Alex is convinced this new technology can beat traditional delivery riders, but Jack isn't so sure. After all, Shenzhen's scooter-riding delivery workers are known for their speed.

The race revealed just how efficient drone delivery can be in certain settings, underscoring Shenzhen's push to commercialize low-altitude technology across logistics, retail and urban services.

The city has become a testing ground for drone delivery networks, with companies operating routes to parks, office towers and residential compounds.

But the experiment also highlighted the limits of the technology. While drones may have the edge in places like parks, where finding a customer can be tricky, they still face practical constraints from payload capacity and weather to regulatory approvals and landing infrastructure.

For now, the drone-versus-rider race offers a glimpse of what is possible and a taste of how Shenzhen is experimenting with new ways to move goods through the skies, as China accelerates its push into the low-altitude economy.