A contractor for Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD on Thursday denied claims that Chinese nationals were working in “slave-like conditions” at the construction site of its factory in Brazil.
On Tuesday, a task force led by Brazilian prosecutors said it had rescued 163 Chinese nationals who were working in “slave-like” conditions at a BYD construction site in northeastern Brazil.
Video footage released by Brazilian authorities showed the construction workers' dormitories had beds without mattresses and no space for personal belongings.
According to prosecutors, BYD's contractor Jinjiang Group confiscated workers' passports and withheld 60 percent of their wages.
Officials said construction workers who tried to quit would have to repay the company for their flight from China to Brazil and round-trip tickets.
Jinjiang Group chalked up the slavery accusation to a mistranslation and said the claim had no basis in fact.
In a post on Weibo, China's popular micro-blogging platform, on Thursday, Jinjiang province said: “Being unfairly labeled 'enslaved', our employees feel that their dignity has been insulted and their human rights violated. “This deeply hurt the dignity of the Chinese people,” he said. .
Jinjiang province announced it had signed a joint letter with workers rejecting slavery claims.
BYD did not immediately respond to the Post's request for comment.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that the Chinese embassy in Brazil was cooperating with Brazilian officials to verify the claims.
At the time, BYD said it had terminated its relationship with the contractor that hired the workers and was cooperating with Brazilian authorities on the issue.
Li Yunfei, BYD's general manager of branding and public relations, later reposted Jinjiang's statement on Weibo. He accused Chinese media of “foreign forces” leading a smear campaign against “China brands and China.”
BYD is building a factory in Brazil that will produce 150,000 cars a year and plans to start production in 2024 or early 2025.
The large-scale factory was built as Brazil plans to raise tariffs on imported EVs from 18% to 35% in 2026.
Jinjiang said the slavery accusations arose from cultural and linguistic misunderstandings and claimed Brazilian officials had asked “provocative” questions.
The contractor posted a video showing a group of Chinese workers reading a letter that Jinjiang province claims was co-signed.
The unidentified Chinese worker featured in the video said he was “very happy” working at the site and said the workers were “complying with laws and regulations.”
The letter alleges that more than 100 workers voluntarily surrendered their passports to Jinjiang Province for help applying for temporary ID cards in Brazil, and that the company has withheld them from the workers. This refutes the claims made by the Brazilian authorities.
with post wire
