Vietnamese workers at Chinese factory in Serbia cry for help

Vietnamese workers at the construction site of the first Chinese car tire factory in Europe near the northern Serbian town of Zrenjanin, 50 kilometers north of Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. Reports have emerged in Serbia of prison-like conditions for some 500 of them at the construction site in north of the country where China's Shandong Linglong Tire Co is building the huge factory. Populist-run Serbia is a key spot for China's expansion and investment policies in Europe and Chinese companies have kept a tight lid on their projects in the country amid reports of disrespect of the Balkan nation's anti-pollution laws and labor regulations. - AP

ZRENJANIN, Serbia, Nov 20 (AP): They are shivering in barracks without heat, going hungry and have no money. They say their passports have been taken by their Chinese employer and that they are now stuck in a grim plainland in Serbia with no help from local authorities.

These are the Vietnamese workers who are helping build the first Chinese car tire factory in Europe. The Associated Press visited the construction site in northern Serbia where some 500 of the workers are living in harsh conditions as China’s Shandong Linglong Tire Co. sets up the huge facility.