US lawmakers call on Starbucks to shut newly opened stores in China’s Xinjiang region, arguing the company is doing business in an area where Beijing has been accused of serious human rights abuses against Muslim minorities. The requests focus on outlets Starbucks opens in Xinjiang on Tuesday.
The outlets cite criticism from US lawmakers including Republican representative John Moolenaar, who describes operating in Xinjiang as “morally bankrupt.” The lawmakers’ position is tied to long-running US allegations about the treatment of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic group, in Xinjiang.
A separate report notes that Starbucks has already changed its ownership structure in China, after selling a controlling stake in its China retail business last year to Boyu Capital. Across the coverage, the key point of disagreement is not the existence of the outlets or the lawmakers’ stance, but rather the emphasis on Starbucks’ corporate arrangements versus the direct moral and human-rights arguments for closing the stores.
