The 2010 Chinese labour unrest was a series of labour disputes, strike actions, and protests in the south of the People's Republic of China that saw striking workers successfully receive higher pay packages. Among the incidents were a string of employee suicides at Taiwan-owned electronics manufacturer Foxconn and strike actions at Honda factories in Guangdong province, both of which resulted in wage increases. The Economist stated that wages were merely rising to make up for lost ground due to wage freezes, and China's inflationary monetary environment at the time made regular pay rises a necessity for workers concerned with maintaining a high quality of life. Reuters quoted Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, as saying, "this has both good and bad elements. A wage increase is not necessarily bad if properly managed. The experience of the past 100 years shows that auto workers become auto consumers also." The events at Honda and Foxconn were followed by a string of labour-related protests and strikes at foreign-owned factories, mostly in the south of the country. Foreign companies Although most of the strikes did take place at foreign-owned facilities, a few Chinese companies also experienced labor unrest. Foxconn In 2009 Sun Danyong, an employee of electronics manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group, committed suicide. Reports emerged of questionable labour practices at Foxconn factories, and a number of other suicides occurred in 2010. Foxconn announced that workers with a monthly wage of 900 RMB ($131.77 at the time) would immediately receive a 30% increase, to 1200 RMB, with a spokesman stating that "It's been a while since we increased wages, hence the decision." Honda Starting 17 May, a prolonged strike at a Honda automobile parts factory resulted in suspension of operations at all four of Honda's Chinese production bases, which are located in Guangdong and Hubei provinces. The high-profile strike was covered in domestic<ref>"Strike in China Highlights Gap in Workers’ Pay" article by Keith Bradsher and David Barboza in The New York Times 28 May 2010</ref> and international media. Pay raises of 24%Honda Restarts Operations at Chinese Auto-parts Factory Today After Strike bloomberg.com, Makiko Kitamura – 1 June 2010 11:30 pm PT halted the strike action in early June. Honda is believed to have lost 3 billion yuan in sales as a result. Other strikes at different Honda parts factories followed."A Labor Movement Stirs in China" article by Keith Bradsher in The New York Times 10 June 2010"With