BEIJING, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, was down 0.4 percent year on year in August, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Wednesday.

NBS statistician Dong Lijuan attributed the CPI decline to the high comparison base from the same period last year and a rise in food prices that was below the seasonal level.

The core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.9 percent, marking the fourth consecutive month of increase.

Wednesday's data also showed improved signs in China's industrial sector. The producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, fell 2.9 percent year on year in August. The decline narrowed by 0.7 percentage points from the previous month, marking the first such narrowing since March this year.

On a monthly basis, the PPI ended its downward trend and held steady in August.

Dong noted that the changes in PPI were driven by a combination of proactive macro policies and positive changes in various industries. Enditem