John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, is calling on Starbucks to immediately halt operations and order the closure of its first two stores that have just opened in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, criticising the decision as immoral. The statement came after Starbucks opened its first two outlets in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, this week, with one located at the Grand Bazaar in the city centre and the other at the city's international airport. In a statement on Thursday, October 1, Moolenaar said this was a shocking and utterly immoral decision for a company that has long championed social responsibility, and that there is no legitimate reason for an American company to do business in a region where the Chinese Communist Party has detained more than one million Uyghurs and stripped them of their freedom of belief, language and culture. Starbucks explained this week through its official WeChat account that the two new stores are not merely coffee shops but spaces offering a new experience that blends local cultural identity with consumer demand. Liu Wenjuan, chief executive officer of Starbucks China, said in the same post that the company remains committed to continuing to invest and expand its business in Xinjiang in the future.
Starbucks CorporationUS lawmaker urges Starbucks to close its newly opened Xinjiang stores, calling the expansion immoral amid Uyghur detention allegations.
