BEIJING -- China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, edged down 0.1 percent year-on-year in April, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Saturday.

Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.5 percent year-on-year.

On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.1 percent in April following a 0.4 percent decline in March.

NBS statistician Dong Lijuan said the month-on-month rebound was primarily driven by food consumption and travels.

Some sectors have shown signs of recovery, backed by China's strong economic fundamentals and resilience, as well as the coordinated implementation of policies, according to Dong.

In breakdown, food prices declined 0.2 percent year-on-year, non-food prices remained unchanged, consumer goods prices dropped 0.3 percent, while service prices rose 0.3 percent.

For the January-April period, China's CPI averaged a 0.1 percent decline compared with the same period last year.