In a statement via the Chinese platform Weibo, the company's spokesperson Li Yunfei writes:
"When it comes to slandering Chinese brands, slandering China, and trying to undermine the friendship between China and Brazil, we see how foreign interests are maliciously working together to tarnish."
BYD (Build Your Dreams) manufactures various types of cars, but is one of the world's largest when it comes to electric cars. Earlier in the week, regional authorities in Brazil – where a BYD factory is being built – announced that they had rescued 160 Chinese workers from "slave-like conditions." The situation for the workers was described as alarming, with dormitories without beds and barely any bathrooms.
The construction site is located in Camaçari, north of the metropolis Salvador in the state of Bahia, and is expected to become BYD's largest electric car factory outside of Asia. The regional authorities who inspected the construction site suspect that forced labor has occurred.
The car giant's subsidiary in Brazil announced that it had immediately terminated the contract with the contractor responsible for the construction.
According to BYD, the workers are now accommodated in nearby hotels and are not affected by the decision to stop work on the site.
Regarding the future of the construction, BYD explains that it is "looking into suitable measures."
