Rights group, US lawmakers condemn first Starbucks stores in China’s Xinjiang

An advocacy group and US lawmakers criticize Starbucks for opening its first cafes in China’s Xinjiang, despite human rights violations against the region’s Uighur Muslim population.

The American coffee giant opened two stores in Urumqi, the regional capital, on Tuesday, in a move heralded by Chinese state media outlets.

John Moolenaar, chairman of the US House Select Committee on China, calls the development “morally bankrupt” in a statement.

The World Uyghur Congress group says Starbucks “is once again choosing to ignore a dire human rights situation… by opening stores in the region,” and that “companies should not contribute to an economy where state-imposed forced labor remains a serious concern.”

By an act of Congress passed in 2021, Washington assumes all products from Xinjiang are tainted by forced labor unless proven otherwise.

Beijing’s crackdown in the region began almost a decade ago, with the government citing separatist activity.

According to the US State Department, the subsequent policies have included the detention of more than a million people, forced sterilization, forced labor, and “draconian restrictions” on freedom of religion, expression, and movement. In 2021, it labeled the campaign a genocide.

The United Nations has also warned of possible crimes against humanity, as have major human rights groups.