China's National Bureau of Statistics says the country's inflation rate rose unexpectedly by 4.5 percent in January.
Most of the increase was attributed to a 10.5 percent jump in food prices.
China's inflation rate for 2011 was 5.4 percent, higher than the government's target of 4 percent.
The surprising news about inflation comes after the International Monetary Fund said earlier this week that China's projected growth could be cut in half if Europe, Beijing's biggest trading partner, experiences a sharp downturn due to its debt problems.
Compiled from agency reports
Most of the increase was attributed to a 10.5 percent jump in food prices.
China's inflation rate for 2011 was 5.4 percent, higher than the government's target of 4 percent.
The surprising news about inflation comes after the International Monetary Fund said earlier this week that China's projected growth could be cut in half if Europe, Beijing's biggest trading partner, experiences a sharp downturn due to its debt problems.
Compiled from agency reports
