Recent shutoffs won't start trend: Minister

TIANJIN - The country's top commerce official on Friday denied there was a nationwide surge in strikes, but maintained labor disputes that have hampered China's manufacturing assembly lines must be handled properly to avoid an impact on the economy.

Minister of Commerce Chen Deming told the Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV on the phone that a string of recent strikes that have crippled industrial magnates like Foxconn, Toyota and Honda were an "isolated phenomenon", which won't have a sweeping effect once appropriately resolved.

"Given the circumstances of the lingering global economic crisis and various other difficulties faced by enterprises, we will ensure the workers get a moderate increase in their pay and simultaneously guarantee that the employers will not be overburdened by the rising personnel costs," Chen said.