Stand against inflation

Premier Wen Jiabao acknowledged yesterday that it will be hard to attain this year's goal of keeping inflation at about 4.8 percent given the accelerated price hikes in the first two months this year.

That does not sound like heartening news for Chinese households, especially low-income families, whose meager purchasing power is being eroded by the highest consumer inflation in more than a decade.

Yet, the premier's matter-of-fact manner assured the public that the government has come to grips with the severity of soaring prices. More important, the premier made it clear that the battle against inflation is not only a top priority this year but also a key task for the coming five years.