PBOC aims to prevent asset price jump-c.banker quoted

TOKYO, March 12 (Reuters) - China's central bank aims to forestall runaway increases in asset prices this year while supporting stable and relatively brisk economic growth, Guo Qingping, an assistant governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), was quoted by a Japanese daily as saying.

Guo was quoted by the Nikkei business daily as saying that the PBOC will continue to keep the overall trend of monetary policy appropriately accommodative in the face of the numerous economic challenges at home and abroad.

'But at the same time, the flexibility and accuracy of policy needs to be increased,' the Nikkei quoted Guo as telling the paper recently in written comments.

The PBOC will employ various policy measures in response to changing conditions to support stable and relatively fast economic growth, he said.

At the same time, it will prevent expansions in asset bubbles and prevent inflation expectations from leading to actual increases in prices, the Nikkei quoted Guo as saying.

Data released on Thursday showed that Chinese consumer inflation spurted to a 16-month high in February while a raft of other economic indicators displayed broad-based strength, providing fresh arguments for policy tightening sooner rather than later.

(Reporting by Masayuki Kitano; Editing by Chris Gallagher)

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