On display here were power banks that can be rented after scanning the user's palm, windows that can automatically close when they detect a change in humidity before rain, and AI-powered garments that will inflate their gas bags before an elderly wearer falls to the ground.

But, some industry sources said US carriers appear to believe route diversions from Russia make flights longer and inflate costs, hence seem a bit reluctant to add more direct flights, unlike their Chinese counterparts.

But on the other hand, a weakening yuan could inflate import costs, aggravate the pressure of imported inflation and narrow the room for monetary easing, said Zhang, who is also chief economist of PwC China.

"The rises in prices of commodities like iron ore, coal and oil will also inflate enterprises' costs and squeeze their profitability.

Any escalation in hostilities will likely pose a significant risk to commodity exports and supplies and further inflate already elevated prices across energy classes and metals, said JPMorgan in a report.

However, the rising oil prices will inflate costs for China's manufacturing sector as the country is highly dependent on oil imports, he said.

"According to Luo, as China is highly dependent on oil imports, the rising oil prices will inflate costs for China's manufacturing industry.

Some economists worry that the high commodities prices would inflate production costs and prompt factories to eventually pass the higher input costs on to consumers.

This will significantly inflate market freight rates between Chinese and European ports, said Wang Zhengcheng, a researcher of transportation at CIB Research Co Ltd, a Shanghai-based business think tank.

One challenge is that Russia has closed its airspace to US carriers, and flights to China with route diversions from Russia take longer and inflate costs.

Market concerns about a COVID-19 outbreak in Baise in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, a major domestic aluminum production hub, coupled with low levels of global inventory, are expected to further inflate aluminum prices, analysts said on Friday.

Takata uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create small explosions to inflate air bags.

The Ukraine factor in Europe arising from Russia's special operations this week may affect the supply of raw materials for semiconductor production, which could inflate prices and further strain global supplies, sector experts said.

Against such a backdrop, though the yuan's recent depreciation could inflate import costs and roil investor sentiment, it can help Chinese exporters maintain their competitiveness and help stabilize the country's export growth, they said.

The potential market rigging was uncovered by private equity tycoon Ye Fei, who wrote on his social network account on May 13 that Hangzhou, Zhejiang province-based Zoy Home had been buying shares from the open market to inflate stock prices.

If victims are unable to pay, the criminals will introduce other lending platforms or individuals, which will repeat the trick to inflate the debt.

Without strict regulation, companies could easily inflate their financial sheets to avoid delisting warnings.