In a statement released after discussions with representatives from BYD and contractor Jinjiang Group, Brazil’s Labor Prosecutor’s Office announced that both companies have agreed to provide accommodation for the 163 workers in hotels until an agreement to terminate their contracts is finalized. The statement did not elaborate on how the prosecutors arrived at their conclusions.
Neither BYD nor Jinjiang responded promptly to requests for comments. On Monday, Jinjiang disputed the Brazilian authorities' characterization of the workers' conditions as "slavery-like."
In a social media post shared by a BYD spokesperson, Jinjiang claimed that the depiction of the workers as "enslaved" was misleading and attributed the misunderstanding to translation issues.
On Wednesday, China's foreign ministry indicated that its embassy in Brazil was in contact with the Brazilian government to clarify and address the situation. However, the ministry did not respond to a request for comment regarding the trafficking allegations on Friday.
Brazilian prosecutors have scheduled a meeting with the companies for January 7th to propose a resolution to the ongoing labor investigation. While this agreement could potentially resolve the labor prosecutors' concerns regarding BYD and Jinjiang, further scrutiny from labor inspectors and federal prosecutors remains a possibility, pending their review of evidence for potential criminal proceedings. BYD's Bahia factory construction is progressing, with plans to produce 150,000 vehicles and commence production in Brazil, its largest international market, by early 2025.