Chinese state media is celebrating automaker BYD surpassing Elon Musk’s Tesla as the world’s top producer of electric vehicles (EVs), while downplaying reports that BYD has been keeping its Brazilian workforce in conditions “analogous to slavery.”

China’s state-run Global Times on Friday reported that BYD production surpassed that of Tesla in 2024, although Tesla still holds the lead in sales by a little under 30,000 units.

BYD sales surged by 41.3 percent in 2024, according to the company’s year-end financial statements, while Tesla’s sales slipped by 1.1 percent, marking its fir