Republican calls Starbucks ‘morally bankrupt’ for doing business in China’s Xinjiang and demands store closures

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A US lawmaker has urged Starbucks to shut down its newly opened stores in China's Xinjiang region, condemning the move as a “morally bankrupt” choice to operate where Uyghurs face ongoing repression.

John Moolenaar, chairman of the House of Representatives Select Committee on China, called on the American coffee giant to "immediately reverse course and close its stores".

"This is a shocking and morally bankrupt decision by a company that prides itself on social responsibility," he said in a statement published on Thursday.

"There is no justifiable reason for an American company to do business in a region where the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) has detained more than a million Uyghurs and is stripping them of their faith, language, and culture."

The criticism follows Starbucks opening its initial two stores this week in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, with one located at the city center's Grand Bazaar and another at its international airport.

China denies widespread accusations of human rights abuses against the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority, claiming its policies in the far-western territory aim to combat terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism.

In response to a request for comment, China's Foreign Ministry called the US allegations "naked lies" and declared that Xinjiang enjoys "stable society, economic growth, racial unity and religious harmony". The ministry added that China will offer further investment opportunities for foreign enterprises.

Starbucks did not respond to Reuter’s requests for comment during China's week-long national day holiday.

Writing on the company's official WeChat platform this week, China Chief Executive Officer Liu Wenjuan said it would continue to invest in Xinjiang.

Images of the stores shared on WeChat showed Starbucks' logo in English and Chinese, but no obvious signs in the Uyghur language. Written in an Arabic-based script, Uyghur is supposed to enjoy official parity in Xinjiang.

In April 2026, Starbucks completed its China joint venture by bringing in strategic investor Boyu Capital as a 60% stakeholder. The joint venture operates roughly 8,000 coffee outlets across China.