BEIJING - China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, grew at a faster pace in November, driven by rising food prices, official data showed Wednesday.

The CPI rose 0.7 percent year-on-year in November, accelerating from October's rise of 0.2 percent and marking the fastest pace of growth since March 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

On a monthly basis, the CPI edged down 0.1 percent last month, the NBS data showed.

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The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, increased by 1.2 percent year-on-year last month.

Wednesday's data also revealed that the country's producer price index, which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, rose 0.1 percent from the previous month, marking the second consecutive monthly increase, the NBS said.

On a year-on-year basis, the PPI fell 2.2 percent in November, NBS data showed.

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NBS statistician Dong Lijuan said the modest monthly rise reflected rising demand in certain domestic industries due to seasonal factors, and divergent price trends in nonferrous metals and petroleum-related sectors driven by imported factors.

"Prices are beginning to show signs of improvement as supportive policies are taking effect," Dong noted. The improvement follows efforts to curb "involution-style" competition, the rapid growth in emerging industries, and the unleashing of consumer demand, the statistician noted.