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An advocacy group and US lawmakers criticised Starbucks for opening its first cafes in China’s Xinjiang, where activists and foreign governments have alleged widespread rights abuses against the region’s Muslim Uighur population.
The US coffee giant opened two stores in Urumqi, the regional capital, on Sept 29, in a move heralded by Chinese state media outlets.
John Moolenaar, chairman of the US House Select Committee on China, called the development “morally bankrupt” in a statement on Oct 1.
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The stores’ opening “ties an iconic American brand to the CCP’s brutal campaign against the Uighurs”, he said, referring to the governing Chinese Communist Party.
The World Uyghur Congress rights advocacy group said Starbucks “is once again choosing to ignore a dire human rights situation... by opening stores in the region”. “Companies should not contribute to an economy where state-imposed forced labour remains a serious concern,” it added in a social media post.
The United Nations warned in 2022 of possible crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, including the detention of more than a million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in camps there.
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Rights groups say serious abuses continue in the region, including forced labour [...] The US has imposed sanctions in response to alleged abuses, and several Western brands have faced criticism for their connections to Xinjiang.
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In 2025, Starbucks announced it would sell a controlling stake in its Chinese retail operations to investment firm Boyu Capital in the hope of revitalising business in its second-largest market.
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