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.

Officials said staff were working excessively long hours while being kept in ‘degrading conditions’ in their accommodation.

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