Sustained deflation first emerged in China in April 2000 on the back of the Asian financial crisis. China then faced the double whammy of weak domestic demands and a strong RMB. The deflation lasted for two years until May 2002, with the CPI once registering the largest monthly decline of 2.2%. Price began to climb slowly for the next one and a half year. Exports and FDI driven strong growth along with fiscal stimulus contributed to the turnaround. But deflation reared its head again in September 2001. For the first nine months of this year, the CPI was down 0.8% YoY. Consumer goods, food and non-food items all recorded price decrease while service items recording increase