Taiwan's CPI climbs 1.64 pct in May

TAIPEI, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's Consumer Price Index (CPI) grew by 1.64 percent year-on-year in May, the island's statistics agency said Tuesday.

The agency mainly attributed the rise to price increases in cigarette, fuel, gas, eggs, cooking oil and dairy produce.

However, vegetables, fruit, telecom fees and consumer electronics saw price drop compared with last May.

The core CPI, which excludes vegetables, fruit and energy, saw a year-on-year rise of 0.95 percent, the agency said.

For the first five months of the year, the CPI was up 1.66 percent year on year, while the core CPI gained 1.4 percent during the same period.