Factbox-What’s China’s Jinjiang, the BYD contractor below fireplace in Brazil?


SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s Jinjiang Group is within the highlight after Brazil’s labour authorities mentioned staff at a manufacturing unit it’s constructing for electrical automobile maker BYD (SZ:002594) have been victims of human trafficking working in “slavery-like situations”.

Jinjiang has rejected the declare about staff in slavery-like situations and never responded to a request for touch upon the trafficking allegation. China’s international ministry mentioned it’s communication with Brazil and that China requires Chinese language firms to function in compliance with the legislation.

Right here is extra about Jinjiang Group:

THE COMPANY

Privately held Jinjiang – the title means “gold craftsman” – was based in 2002 and is certified to offer property building providers. It’s headquartered in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese language metropolis that can also be residence to BYD.

Chairman Ma Jianbin’s alma mater, the Sichuan Faculty of Architectural Expertise, posted on social media in 2021 that Jinjiang had a employees of 1,500 and annual income of three billion yuan ($400 million).

Moreover BYD, main purchasers embrace Chinese language property builders equivalent to Vanke, Longfor and Nation Backyard (HK:2007), the publish mentioned.

Jinjiang is managed by Ma Jianwei, whose private data isn’t accessible, in response to information on Chinese language firms database Tianyancha.

JINJIANG’S WORK FOR BYD

Moreover the Brazil manufacturing unit, Jinjiang works on BYD manufacturing unit building throughout China in cities equivalent to Changzhou, Yangzhou and Hefei, in response to information on Tianyancha and job posts on Chinese language web sites and social media.

Jinjiang was looking for staff for the development of BYD’s vegetation in Xian, Shaanxi and Zhengzhou, in response to job posts by recruiters on the WeChat messaging app final month.

The corporate helped BYD construct its Skyrail elevated monorail system in China, in response to native authorities posts.

Reuters couldn’t set up whether or not Jinjiang was engaged on BYD tasks in Hungary, Mexico, Thailand and Uzbekistan, however recruitment posts for the agency present that it’s hiring varied positions in Hungary, together with forklift driver and logistics specialist.

Jinjiang is recruiting hydraulic and metal construction engineers in Turkey in addition to Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese and Hungarian translators, it mentioned in posts that don’t point out BYD.

WORK SAFETY RECORD

From 2018 to 2022, Jinjiang was ordered by Chinese language courts to compensate staff in 5 disputes involving work accidents and accidents, in response to Tianyancha.

It was fined in three instances in 2023 and 2024 for violating employee security rules, in response to the database.

A penalty document additionally confirmed that in Might 2022, a employee at a building web site of BYD’s in Hefei was killed in a falling accident. Jinjiang, the chief contractor of the venture, was fined 310,000 yuan alongside two sub-contractors by the native authorities in 2023 for failing to implement security measures.

JINJIANG, BYD RESPONSES TO BRAZIL CLAIMS

Jinjiang mentioned on its Weibo (NASDAQ:WB) account that the portrayal of the employees as “enslaved” was inaccurate and that there have been translation misunderstandings.

It posted a video of a bunch of Chinese language staff, one studying to the digicam a letter that Jinjiang mentioned the employees had collectively signed, saying the declare that they’d been rescued insulted their dignity.

The unidentified employee mentioned they have been shocked by the chance that they might be despatched residence, that they needed to maintain their jobs and proceed working in Brazil.

BYD initially mentioned it had minimize ties with Jinjiang, however Jinjiang’s Chinese language assertion was later reposted on-line by a BYD government who accused “international forces” and a few Chinese language media of “intentionally smearing Chinese language manufacturers and the nation and undermining the connection between China and Brazil”.

© Reuters. A drone view shows BYD's new electric vehicle (EV) factory's construction site in Camacari, Brazil December 26, 2024. REUTERS/Joa Souza

Brazil’s Labor Prosecutor’s Workplace mentioned BYD and Jinjiang have agreed to help and home the 163 staff in resorts till a deal to finish their contracts is reached.

($1 = 7.2992 Chinese language yuan renminbi)

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