A vendor (C) weighs vegetables at a market in Fuyang, Anhui Province, in this file photo. China’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, is expected to grow faster in January due to rising food prices before Spring Festival, said Lian Ping, chief economist of the Bank of Communications. Lian predicted the CPI will grow 2 percent year on year, up from December’s 1.6 percent and November’s 1.5 percent. He expects China will continue to see low inflation in the first half of the year given stable prices and mildly eased liquidity condition.SD-Xinhua