Vietnamese workers building the first Chinese tyre factory for the Linglong company in Serbia are working in slave-like conditions. Investigations found their passports confiscated and the workers living in sub-human conditions.

Nearly 500 Vietnamese workers were found living hungry and without any money. The workers were put up in barracks that had no heating or no warm water.

The workers told news service Associated Press that the local Serbian authorities have not offered them any support. Some of the workers said that even though they got symptoms resembling the Covid-19 infection, the company did not provide medicines and simply asked them to remain closed in their barracks.

China’s Shandong Linglong Tire Company is building a huge factory as part of a strategic partnership between the two countries.

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The plight of the workers came to light after many of them went on a strike. That caught the attention of the media and the human rights groups in Serbia. The rights groups say that the workers could be victims of human trafficking or even slavery.

“We are witnessing a breach of human rights because the Vietnamese (workers) are working in terrible conditions,” Serbian activist Miso Zivanov of the Zrenjaninska Akcija (Zrenjanin Action) NGO told AP at the workers' living quarters.

Zivanov said: “Their passports and identification documents have been taken by their Chinese employers. They have been here since May, and they received only one salary. They are trying to get back to Vietnam but first need to get back their documents”.

One of the workers, Nguyen Van Tri, told the news agency that none of the contractual obligations have been fulfilled from the job contract he signed in Vietnam. “Everything is different from documents we signed in Vietnam. Life is bad, food, medicine, water … everything is bad”.

In its defence, Chinese company Linglong said that the personal documents were taken from the workers to provide them with residency permits. It also blamed the local sub-contractors and job agencies in Vietnam.

China and Serbia enjoy good relations where Beijing has invested considerably. Chinese banks have granted billions of dollars in loans to Serbia to finance infrastructure development.

Under pressure from the media and human rights officials, Serbian officials spoke against the “inhumane” conditions at the construction site but absolved the Chinese company of any violations.

On the other hand, the top leadership in Serbia defended Chinese investments in the country. President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday that a Serbian labor inspector has been sent to the Linglong construction site but defended Chinese investment in his country.

Chinese projects in other countries have come in for severe criticism for reasons as varied as debt trap diplomacy, violation of local laws, exploitation of local communities and even local resistance against Chinese projects.