Room seen for buffering pressure amid US inflation

China still has the space for interest rate cuts to buffer economic downward pressure, though the room for easing may narrow, as the United States is poised to act more aggressively against stubbornly high inflation, experts said on Wednesday.

They commented as US consumer prices increased more than forecast in August, defying expectations that the US Federal Reserve may slow down its tightening pace upon softer inflationary pressure.

The US Department of Labor reported on Tuesday that US inflation－as measured by growth in the consumer price index－came in at 8.3 percent year-on-year in August, down from 8.5 percent the previous month but above the consensus estimate of 8.1 percent.