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,

By Fabio Teixeira RIO DE JANEIRO/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Chinese workers at a construction site in Brazil for a factory owned by China's electric vehicle producer BYD are victims of human trafficking, Brazilian labor authorities said on Thursday in a growing controversy in BYD's biggest overseas market.

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.