Means of production prices rise in China

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Most of the capital goods monitored by the Chinese government posted higher prices in mid-August compared with early August this year, official data showed Wednesday.

Of the 50 major goods monitored by the government, which include seamless steel tubes, gasoline, coal, fertilizer and some agricultural products mainly used for processing, 23 saw their prices increase, while 22 posted lower prices, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Hog price dropped 0.5 percent in mid-August to 21.4 yuan (about 3.1 U.S. dollars) per kg.

The reading, released every 10 days, is based on a survey of nearly 2,000 wholesalers and distributors in 31 provincial-level regions.