Means of production prices mostly fall in China

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Most of the capital goods in China posted lower prices in mid-December compared with early December this year, official data shows.

Of the 50 goods monitored by the government, which include seamless steel tubes, gasoline, coal, fertilizer and some agricultural products mainly used for processing, 25 posted lower prices, 23 saw price rises and two remained unchanged, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Hog prices dropped 17.3 percent in mid-December to 18.2 yuan (about 2.62 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, NBS data shows.

The price of liquefied natural gas climbed 15.5 percent in the same period to 7,558.7 yuan per tonne.

The figures, released every 10 days, are based on a survey of nearly 2,000 wholesalers and distributors in 31 provincial-level regions across the country.