The world's second-largest economy has grappled with persistent deflationary pressure in recent years, with longstanding woes in the property sector and export headwinds impeding growth.

The consumer price index (CPI) -- a key measure of inflation -- was down 0.1 percent last month year-on-year, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), following previous drops in February and March.

The reading was in line with a Bloomberg forecast of a 0.1 percent year-on-year decline based on a survey of economists, and consistent with the slight drop recorded in March.

The latest figures come ahead of Saturday's start to a meeting of key economic officials from China and the United States in Switzerland, offering a potential offramp for the high-stakes trade war launched by President Donald Trump.

NBS statistician Dong Lijuan said Saturday in a statement about the data that "international imported factors have a certain downward impact on prices in some industries".

US tariffs on imports from the manufacturing powerhouse now stand at a staggering 145 percent for many products -- and reach as high as 245 percent cumulatively on others.