This was lower than the 5.1 percent inflation seen in November, but still a worrying one in the eyes of ordinary Chinese, who have been complaining of rising food prices, with some staples increasing 25 percent in the last few months.

Moreover, many economists expect the pace of inflation to pick up again in coming months because of adverse weather conditions and other seasonal factors like the Lunar New Year holiday in February, which triggers higher household spending. Rising wages also have fanned inflation pressures in recent months.

“It’s clear that the government policy stance has shifted” from worrying about growth to controlling inflation, said Arthur Kroeber, head of the economics research company Dragonomics, based in Beijing.

Over the last year, the government has taken a series of incremental steps to tighten growth and curb inflation. The so-called reserve requirement ratio for state-controlled banks — which effectively dictates the amount that lenders have to set aside against loans, limiting how much they can lend — has been raised seven times since early 2010, most recently on Jan. 14. The Chinese central bank also has nudged up interest rates twice in recent months.

However, these steps have had only a moderate effect on the pace of growth. Bank lending continues to surge, and on Thursday, the government reported that fixed-asset investment rose 23.8 percent in 2010, while property investment soared 33.2 percent.

“In sum, growth has not been significantly impacted by tightening measures. Instead, it continues to fuel inflation by boosting demand for both producer and consumer goods and services,” Ken Peng, an economist at Citigroup, commented in a note on Thursday. “This should give the green light for authorities to continue to tighten policy to contain inflation expectations.”

Many analysts believe that another rate increase, a higher reserve ratio for banks and other measures aimed more specifically at sectors like housing could come within weeks.