Price rises must stop, group says

Industry body issues call as State Council lists inflation as priority

BEIJING - Businesses were urged not to raise prices of consumer goods by a leading industry group on Wednesday as the State Council said that taming inflation is the government's most pressing task.

Companies must not collude in increasing prices or reduce supplies, the government-backed All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) said in a statement, endorsed by 24 of its 28 chambers of commerce.