China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported August consumer prices rising 0.8% year-on-year, exactly matching consensus forecasts and lifting from July’s 0.5% print. Stronger non-food components, including transport costs tied to fuel prices and seasonal travel demand, plus firmer readings in clothing, healthcare, and high-tech sectors, offset continued food-price deflation and weak housing costs. Core inflation excluding food and energy also edged higher to 1.0%. The official figure landed squarely inside the 0.7–0.8% range on the same day the data were released, leaving virtually no room for alternative outcomes unless a rare subsequent revision occurs.