In the first quarter, the price index of investment in fixed assets declined 1.2 percent year-on-year. Of which, the price of construction and installation, and purchase of equipment, tools and instruments was down by 2.2 and 1.1 percent respectively; that of other was surging 1.9 percent.

In the price of construction and installation, the cost of materials dropped 5.1 percent, while that of labors, and machine utilization correspondingly surged by 7.4 and 1.3 percent.

(National Bureau of Statistics April 21, 2009)