CPI came in at 4.9 percent, because of a strong rise in the price of food

BEIJING - China's inflation index exceeded expectations in February because of high food prices. Economists expect it to continue climbing in the coming months.

Expectations for the month ranged from 4.6 percent to 4.8 percent.

A beverage delivery man takes a nap on a tricycle in Shenyang, Liaoning province. China’s infl ation may continue to rise in the coming months, experts warned. [Photo/Agencies]

The consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 4.9 percent year-on-year in February, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Friday.

That's unchanged from the January figure, but higher than the 4.6 percent registered in December.

Food prices, which account for about 30 percent of the basket, climbed 11 percent from a year earlier and contributed 67 percent to the growth in CPI, according to Sheng Laiyun, a NBS spokesman, on Friday.