A resident buys vegetables at a market in Dongxing City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Dec. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming)

China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 1.5 percent year on year in December,down from the 2.3-percent increase a month ago, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday.

The CPI for 2021 climbed 0.9 percent, well below the country's annual target of approximately 3 percent.