Brazilian authorities have suspended the issuance of temporary work visas for BYD in the wake of accusations that some workers at a site owned by the Chinese electric vehicle producer had been victims of human trafficking,

Local authorities said the contractor employed by BYD was forcing 163 Chinese workers to endure slave-like conditions at the construction site

A spokesperson for Chinese automaker BYD has objected to reports about poor conditions at a construction site in Brazil where it is building a factory, saying the allegations were aimed at “smearing” China and Chinese brands.