Overview
- Starbucks opened two cafes in Urumqi on Tuesday, one at the city’s Grand Bazaar and one at the international airport, marking the company’s first retail presence in Xinjiang.
- John Moolenaar, chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on China, urged Starbucks to close the outlets and called the decision “morally bankrupt,” while the World Uyghur Congress and other rights groups condemned the openings.
- Starbucks’ China arm posted on WeChat that the stores aim to blend local culture with customer needs and said it will continue investing in Xinjiang; the China business was reorganized in April when Boyu Capital took a 60% stake in the joint venture that runs about 8,000 outlets.
- Observers noted store signage in English and Chinese with no obvious Uyghur-language signs, raising questions about language parity for Uyghur residents who use an Arabic-based script that is supposed to have official recognition in the region.
- The openings revive wider concerns about Xinjiang after a 2022 U.N. warning of possible crimes against humanity, with Beijing denying widespread abuses and the dispute likely to increase political and supply-chain scrutiny of foreign firms operating there.