BEIJING: China's state planner expects the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to grow mildly this year and remain within the official target, its spokesperson Meng Wei said on Monday.

Price trends in China will be influenced by external factors as global commodity prices rise, but the impact would be limited and controllable, Meng told reporters at a regular briefing.

China has set a target for CPI at around 3% this year.

(Reporting by Stella Qiu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Christopher Cushing) ((yifan.qiu@thomsonreuters.com; 86-10-66271289;))