China's business press carried the following stories on Thursday. China.org.cn has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

CPI growth rate in May to hit 3% -- China Securities Journal

China's consumer price index (CPI) growth rate will continue to challenge 3 percent in May, which is the warning line of inflation. The producer price index (PPI) may have reached its peak and will start to fall, according to analysis from experts.

Dong Xian'an, chief macro-economy analyst with the Industrial Securities, made the forecast based on the prices of farm produce in May. The CPI of the month might climb 3 percent higher than that of the same period last year, and 0.2 percent higher than that of the previous month. PPI is expected to increase by 6.8 percent from the same period last year, about the same growth rate in April of this year.

According to the research report released by China Everbright Bank, the growth rate of CPI in May will not exceed 3 percent; PPI growth rate may decline, and the data of 6.8 percent in April could already be the ceiling point of the year.

The National Bureau of Statistics is expected to publish the macro economic data of May on June 11.

China's soybeans import may hit record this year – National Business Daily

China's soybeans imports, driven by domestic demands, is expected to increase to 47.5 million tons this year, and the figure will continue to grow in the coming years, forecasted by Shang Qiangmin, director of the Grain Information Center of State Administration of Grain on Wednesday.

According to Shang at the "China-Malaysia International Palm Oil Symposium and Exhibition," many companies and organizations said China would import more soybeans this year, so the figure could even exceed 50 million tons.

China to issue 200-bln-yuan local treasury bonds this year -- China Business News

Following the notice released by the Ministry of Finance, the underwriting syndicate of book-entry bonds will report the information about the receipt account of the fees for issuing local bonds. It is estimated that the ministry will soon start to issue local treasury bonds with a total value of 200 billion yuan.

The issuance scale of local bonds this year is not the same of last year. According to rough statistics, the bonds to be issued have been decreased from 5.8 billion yuan to 4.9 billion yuan in Chongqing, from 8.4 billion yuan to 7.5 billion yuan in Yunnan, from 5.6 billion yuan to 5.4 billion yuan in Beijing, and from 7 billion yuan to 6.9 billion yuan in Shandong; the bonds to be issued will increase from 2.6 billion yuan to 4.7 billion yuan in Fujian, from 8.4 billion yuan to 8.9 billion yuan in Jiangsu, and from 8.8 billion yuan to 9.3 billion yuan in Henan.

An analyst of fixed income from a securities firm said, "The issuance was expected to start in April and finish in June, but it seems that the procedure has been postponed."