China’s Consumer Prices Rise 4.9%, Exceeding Wen’s Target

China’s inflation and industrial production exceeded forecasts in February, underscoring the challenge for Premier Wen Jiabao as he seeks to prevent price increases from stirring social unrest.

Consumer prices rose at an annual 4.9 percent pace in February and output increased 14 percent in the first two months of 2011, the statistics bureau said in Beijing. Producer prices jumped 7.2 percent last month, the most since September 2008.