The consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 3.4 percent year on year in April, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The growth eased slightly from the 3.6-percent rate registered in March. It hit a 20-month low of 3.2 percent in February.

In April, food prices, which account for nearly one third of the weighting in the calculation of China's CPI, increased 7 percent year on year, but dropped 0.9 percent from March, the NBS said.

"We expect that the CPI will continue falling in May and June, possibly to below 3 percent. But it will rebound in the third and fourth quarters with a recovery of economic growth," said Wang Jun, a researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

The Chinese Government is aiming to keep the CPI growth within 4 percent.