Starbucks expansion into Xinjiang sparks backlash
by Mary McCue Bell · The Washington TimesStarbucks opened its first stores in China’s Xinjiang region, infamous for concerns of human rights violations of Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups, prompting Rep. John Moolenaar to diss the company as serving “venti-sized genocide.”
The Michigan Republican, chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, decried the coffeehouse giant’s first two stores in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang.
He called it a “shocking and morally bankrupt decision by a company that prides itself on social responsibility.”
People were interested in these podcasts
Mr. Moolenaar added in a statement, “There is no justifiable reason for an American company to do business in a region where the CCP has detained more than a million Uyghurs and is stripping them of their faith, language, and culture. Every cup sold in these stores ties an iconic American brand to the CCP’s brutal campaign against the Uyghurs.”
He called on Starbucks to immediately close its stores in Xinjiang.
Starbucks China CEO Liu Wenjuan stated via WeChat that the company views the expansion as blending local culture and customer needs and will continue investing in the region.
She said that entering Xinjiang “not only marks a further expansion of our store network, but also allows us to engage deeply with this vibrant market and build sincere, lasting connections with our customers there.”
Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, described the country as Starbucks’ second-largest market after the U.S.
Advertisement Advertisement
Starbucks’ China business runs through a joint venture, finalized in April, in which Boyu Capital holds a 60% stake. The venture operates about 8,000 outlets in China.
“By combining Starbucks trusted global brand with Boyu’s deep local expertise, we are positioning the business to serve more customers, enter more cities, and strengthen our leadership in a dynamic and evolving market,” Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said.
Rights groups and Western governments say Chinese authorities have detained more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The U.S. government has called the campaign genocide, and a 2022 U.N. human rights office report said the abuses there may amount to crimes against humanity.
Beijing denies the allegations and says its policies are aimed at combating terrorism, separatism and religious extremism.
Groups such as the World Uyghur Congress condemned the Starbucks rollout, arguing that expanding into Xinjiang ignores state-imposed forced labor and other human rights abuses.
Advertisement Advertisement
China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed accusations of repression, asserting that Xinjiang features economic growth and social stability and welcomes foreign investment.
Contact the author
Mary McCue Bell
Follow author updates Follow Click to follow. Manage followed authors