One of the more interesting aspects of the ongoing currency rift between China and the U.S. is that Chinese consumers are now blaming Fed money printing for domestic inflation, one account being provided in this story at ChannelNews Asia.

At a bustling outdoor fruit and vegetable market in Beijing, Zhan Tiehui grumbles about rising prices for garlic, ginger and cabbage and points a stubby finger in the direction of the United States.

“The source of China’s inflation is America, they are printing too much money,” Zhan, 50, told AFP as she clutched plastic bags full of vegetables.

“Everything is definitely more expensive than last year.”

Chinese consumer fears are rising along with prices after October inflation grew at the fastest pace in two years. The problem is fueled by soaring food costs after severe summer flooding and more recent cold snaps hit crop yields.

But Zhan was echoing Chinese government criticisms of the US move to pump 600 billion dollars into the American economy, which Beijing warns could cause damaging fund flows into emerging economies such as China and fuel inflation.

If not for the long history of rising prices sparking unrest amongst the populace who then take to the streets to protest (and sometimes do much more), this might not be such a concern, however, political change, though infrequent, comes swiftly in the Middle Kingdom.

It seems that, regardless of the real source of the recent bout of inflation, the Chinese government has been successful so far in deflecting the blame off from themselves and onto the U.S., another interview subject in the report noting, “Problems in the American economy … and hot money inflows have some impact on China”.