The consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 3.1 percent in May from one year ago, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from April.

The increase is attributable to rising food prices and residential factors. The government's 3-percent target for the whole year is still achievable, said Sheng Laiyun, a National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) spokesman.

The inflationary pressures are expected to temper off in the months to come as food prices peak and global deflationary forces pick up, he said.

The producer price index (PPI), a major measure of inflation at the wholesale level, grew 7.1 percent year on year in May, up 0.3 percentage points from April's 6.8 percent.

The PPI will not feed into CPI as manufacturers are less likely to pass the costs pressure onto consumers, Sheng said.

The manufacturers are not expected to raise their product prices amid fierce competition, and they can also cushion some of the costs pressure through technological improvements, he said.