China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, grew 2.3 percent year on year in July, the same pace as a month earlier, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on August 9.

The growth rate was also the same as that of the first half of this year, showing stable prices in the country.

China's producer price index (PPI), which measures inflation at the wholesale level, dropped 0.9 percent year on year in July, according to the NBS.

The PPI has dropped for 29 months in a row, but the pace of decline has narrowed for four consecutive months, down from 2.3 percent in March, 2 percent in April, 1.4 percent in May and 1.1 percent in June.

This narrowing shows that market conditions for industrial products have slightly improved in recent months, said NBS senior statistician Yu Qiumei.