China Aims To Strengthen Controls On Inflation

China aims to strengthen macroeconomic controls and continue with a tight monetary policy to prevent its economy from overheating and inflation from worsening, Vice Premier Wang Qishan said.

Policy makers must 'prevent fast money-supply growth from becoming excessive and structural price increases from escalating to a severe overall inflation,' Mr. Wang said Friday at a financial forum in Shanghai.

Mr. Wang's remarks mostly reiterated Beijing's long-held stance on major economic issues, but represented his most elaborate and comprehensive assessment of such matters since he was promoted to his current position in March. A former Mayor of Beijing, Mr. Wang is now in charge of running China's financial sector.

Mr. Wang said China should continue to adopt a prudent fiscal policy and strengthen control of cross-border capital flows.

'So far this year, China's economy has continued to grow at a fast pace . . . . However, the economy is also facing some problems, mainly reflected in relatively high consumer prices and fixed-asset investment,' he said.

The producer-price index rose 8.1% last month from a year earlier, lifted by energy prices, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday. The increase was above March's 8% rise and the ninth straight month of acceleration.

The consumer-price index rose 8.3% in March, the fastest pace in nearly 11 years. China's economy grew 10.6% in the first quarter compared with a year earlier.

中国国务院副总理王岐山表示，中国将加强宏观调控，继续实行从紧的货币政策，以防止经济过热及通货膨胀恶化。

王岐山上周五在上海举行的一个金融论坛上表示，决策者必须防止货币供应量由快速增长演变为过度增长，防止价格由结构性上涨演变为明显的通货膨胀。

王岐山的讲话基本重申了中国政府在主要经济问题上的一贯立场，但却是他自今年3月出任国务院副总理以来对这类经济问题所发表的最为详细和全面的看法。曾任北京市市长的王岐山目前是主管中国金融事务的副总理。

王岐山指出，中国应继续实行稳健的财政政策，并加强对跨境资本流动的控制。
王岐山称，今年迄今，中国经济一直保持快速增长，但同时也面临一些问题，主要表现为消费者物价以及固定资产投资水平较高。

中国国家统计局(National Bureau of Statistics)上周五公布，受能源价格上涨推动，4月份生产者价格指数(PPI)较上年同期上升8.1%，升幅高于3月份的8.0%，为连续第九个月加速上涨。

中国3月份消费者价格指数(CPI)较上年同期上升8.3%，创下近11年来的最大升幅。中国第一季度经济较上年同期增长10.6%。