China's Jinjiang Group is in the spotlight after Brazil's labour authorities said workers at a factory it is building for electric vehicle maker BYD were victims of human trafficking working in "slavery-like conditions".

Authorities rescued 163 workers living in inhumane conditions, prompting BYD to sever ties with its construction partner.

Dozens of Chinese workers have been taken and put up in hotels in Brazil’s tropical northeastern region after local labor authorities found them at a construction site for electric vehicle automaker B

Brazil has stopped issuing temporary work visas for BYD , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday, in the wake of accusations that some workers at a site owned by the Chinese electric vehicle producer had been victims of human trafficking.

Authorities in Brazil said Friday they are probing Chinese auto giant BYD and one of its contractors for suspected "trafficking" of Chinese workers building a factory in the South American country.

BYD has been building the factory with an annual capacity of producing 150,000 cars initially in Brazil, the Chinese EV giant's largest overseas market, as part of plans to start production there.

The 163 Chinese workers found by Brazil's labor ministry in what it described as "slavery-like conditions" at a factory construction site owned by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD have been removed and taken to hotels,