Customers inquire and try out a Model Y car displayed at a Tesla store in Shanghai. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

The parent company of PingWest app, a Chinese online mediaupstart which published a series of articles criticizing Tesla's operations in China, says that it has received an indictment letter from Tesla. 

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Beijing PingWest Interact Technology Co, the company received the indictment, a notice of responding to prosecution, as well as other affidavit from Tesla. The materials had been sent by the Shanghai Pudong New Area People's Court. PingWest is required to submit relevant counter evidences, if any, before February 8. 

According to PingWest, the company has started responding to the lawsuit and is preparing materials. It also noted that it would hand in the evidence under the premise of protecting its sources.

Tesla took PingWest to court after the Chinese tech content provider published an article labeling the US electric car giant's Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai as a sweatshop for its"woeful treatment" of employees. It also accused the firm of sacrificing product quality for the sake of production speed. 

Tesla's vice president Tao Lin had responded to the article on her personal Weibo account, denying PingWest's accusations. 

PingWest said that it would "actively cooperate" with Tesla's lawsuit. It also disclosed that it had sued Tesla for infringing on PingWest's right of reputation via the Internet.

Tesla has just launched the made-in-China Model Y car which received a heated response from mainland customers, as demand for electric cars burgeons in China.