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.

Brazilian labor authorities have accused Chinese electric vehicle company BYD and its contractor, Jinjiang Group, of human trafficking at a construction site in Bahia. The allegations highlight challenges in China's investment model and its relations with Brazil as BYD seeks to expand globally.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -Chinese workers found at a construction site for a factory owned by China's electric vehicle producer BYD in Brazil's Bahia state are victims of human trafficking, Brazilian labor authorities said on Thursday.

Brazilian officials found 163 Chinese nationals working in "slavery-like conditions" at a construction site for a factory owned by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD in Brazil's Bahia state, the local labor prosecutor's office said on Monday.

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”

A task force led by Brazilian prosecutors said it rescued 163 Chinese nationals working in "slavery-like" conditions at a construction site in northeastern Brazil, where Chinese electric vehicle company BYD is building a factory.