The Brazilian government has stopped issuing work visas to Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD after local authorities rescued 163 Chinese nationals from a factory being built in Camaçari, Bahia. These workers faced conditions labeled "analogous to slavery," as reported by Reuters.
BYD, linked to the Chinese Communist Party, is constructing a plant on land previously owned by Ford, which ceased operations in Brazil in 2021. The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Brazil announced on December 23 that construction had been halted due to an investigation showing that BYD, via a contractor named Jinjiang Group, employed many Chinese workers under poor conditions.
Inspectors found that these workers lived in unsanitary conditions and were subjected to exploitative practices, including giving up their passports and having a large portion of their wages withheld under threat of punishment if they tried to leave. This situation has been classified as "forced labor," a recognized form of modern slavery.
During a recent virtual hearing, Brazilian officials stated that the rescued workers were victims of "international human trafficking. " If irregularities in the investigation are confirmed, authorities plan to revoke the residence permits of the Chinese workers. Reports indicate that the Justice Ministry asked the Foreign Ministry to halt visa issuance to BYD ahead of the investigation's public disclosure.
Temporary work visas in Brazil are typically issued when local labor is unavailable, but it was asserted that this was not the case with the Jinjiang workers. BYD has invested $620 million in the Bahia factory, which has become a symbol of the increasing ties between China and Brazil.
In response to the allegations, Jinjiang Group denied the claims of enslavement and stated that the labeling of their workers as such was inaccurate. They claimed there were translation misunderstandings and expressed feelings of indignation over the accusations. A BYD representative echoed these sentiments, accusing foreign forces and media of attempting to tarnish the image of Chinese brands and strain China-Brazil relations.
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