Battling inflation

The 4.8-percent inflation target Premier Wen Jiabao announced yesterday will surely help anchor inflation expectations. Being equal to last year's consumer price rise, it indicates that the government will double efforts to prevent price hikes from further accelerating this year.

However, as the premier admitted, the task to hold down inflation will be difficult. Governments at all levels hence must earnestly carry out anti-inflation measures to fulfill this task.

Last year, China's consumer price index (CPI) rose 4.8 percent year-on-year, the highest since 1997, largely due to sharp rises in the cost of food.