China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, increased 2 percent year on year in February, marking easing inflationary pressure since the end of last year, official data showed.

The growth rate was down from 2.5 percent in the previous month and appeared to be at its lowest level since February 2013, according to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on March 9.

The slowed CPI increase, in line with market expectations, was mainly attributed to the mild growth of food prices, which account for nearly one third of the weighting in the calculation of China's CPI.

Analysts predicted mild inflation would be sustained for several months amid economic downward pressure and weak global commodity prices.

Inflation has slowed in pace for four straight months in China, as the country's economic growth decelerated amid industrial restructuring and furthering reform.

The producer price index (PPI), which measures inflation at the wholesale level, contracted 2 percent year on year in February after a 1.6-percent decline in January, said the NBS.

China's PPI has been in deflationary territory for 24 consecutive months, the longest-lasting drop since the 1990s, according to the bureau.