China says it can achieve its inflation control target this year despite growing pressure of price rises caused by food shortages and a credit boom.

Chairman of the country's top planning agency, Ma Kai, spoke at a news conference during the annual session of the top legislature, the National People's Congress.

"There is still increasing pressure for price rises. As to whether we can hold the inflation at its target of 4.8 percent this year, I believe we are determined to achieve that goal, and we have the relevant conditions and measures in place to make it happen."

Ma Kai, who heads the National Development and Reform Commission, said Beijing will maintain a tight monetary policy whilst trying to ensure supplies of grain, meat and other foodstuffs.

The country's economic growth reached a thirteen year high of 11.4 percent last year.

Climbing food prices in China contributed to 83 percent of the rise in last year's CPI, a major gauge of inflation. Food price rises also accounted for some 84 percent of the monthly CPI increase in January.

Ma Kai said the price hikes were a reasonable "price recovery", given the slight fluctuations of the past decade.

He stressed that China's macroeconomic regulations over the past five years have been effective, securing fast but steady economic growth.

"China hasn't experienced major fluctuations in the economy -- that's the most significant result of the macroeconomic regulations. More importantly, economic efficiency has greatly increased and the economic structure has been further optimized. The Chinese people, in particular, received even greater benefits. Those achievements are obvious to all."

The official admitted that the country faces problems such as overheated growth in fixed asset investment, excessive supplies of currency and credit, and a large trade surplus. But these problems have not necessarily arisen as a result of the macroeconomic policies, and they are being resolved one step at a time.