Starbucks Enters Xinjiang, Prompts Human Rights Criticism

Human Rights Research Center

4 min read

October 12, 2026

NOTE: The writer prefers to use lower case “c” and “p” to challenge the authority of the Chinese communist party (Ccp).

HRRC condemns Starbucks for operating in Xinjiang, despite serious allegations and evidence of genocide of the Uyghurs. We also urge other international firms to halt all operations or business expansion in the region.

Starbucks Urumqi video, featuring dance and music performance to give visitor an authentic and exotic experience and selling dolls dressed in traditional garments. [Image credit: Uyghur Times]

The US coffee chain Starbucks opened two new stores in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China: one in the region capital center of Urumqi and the other at the Urumqi International Airport. These two stores add to the 8,342 Starbucks stores already open on the Chinese mainland.

Multiple Chinese state media outlets broadcasted reports on the openings, and the news has featured prominently in headlines across various social media and new media platforms. Chinese state media, Xinhua News, described the Starbucks flagship store in Urumqi as China’s first intangible cultural heritage-themed flagship store, featuring “incorporated traditional bazaar canopy silhouettes.” Authorities highlighted store decorations inspired by local cultural elements, such as Atlas silk, as well as the the signature milk-skin-flavored salty milk tea, a traditional Uyghur beverage. Videos published from Xinhua News show that Starbucks in Urumqi hired ethnic dancers to perform traditional dances and launched cultural-themed merchandise, including dolls dressed in ethnic garments.

Starbucks in China is operated by the private-equity firm Boyu Capital through a joint venture with the Starbucks headquarters in the United States. Under the agreement, Boyu Capital holds a 60 percent stake in retail operations in China, with the aim of expanding Starbucks’ presence in the country.

Following Starbucks’ opening in Xinjiang, John Moolenaar, Chairman of the US House Select Committee on China, issued a statement condemning Starbucks’ decision as “shocking and morally bankrupt”. He criticized the company for operating in a region where the Ccp is committing a genocide against the Uyghurs and have denied more than one million Uyghurs the right to practice their language, culture, and faith.

The Ccp Foreign Ministry denied the allegations of genocide and asserted that Xinjiang enjoys a degree of social stability and ethnic unity. The Ccp also vowed to expand business opportunities for high-standard firms investing in the region, boosting the region’s booming tourism industry and the entry of multiple renowned hotel brands, including Hilton, Marriott International, and InterContinental Hotels.

Peter Irwin, co-founder and co-executive director of Network for Uyghur Rights, commented that business expansion in the region would risk complicity in atrocity crimes, and that presence of international businesses normalizes and legitimises atrocities committed by the Ccp.

In 2025, Irwin published a report on hotel investment in Xinjiang, titled, “It Does Matter Where You Stay: International Hotel Chains in East Turkistan”. The report revealed that high profile hotel firms, such as Accor, Hilton, IHG, were at high risk of complicity in Uyghur forced labour through the Ccp’s Xinjiang Aid programs (對口援疆). The program is a state-initiated economic scheme launched in 1979, promoting development in Xinjiang through industrialization, mining, and manufacturing.

Why foreign firms invest in Xinjiang despite evidence of genocide?

First, Xinjiang’s ethnic dynamics have been reshaped since the People Liberation Army (China’s military wing) entered Xinjiang in 1949. In 2018, the total population of the region was 25,852,345, with 42.24 percent Han Chinese ethnicity and 44.96 percent Uyghur ethnicity. Compared with the 2010 census, the Han population in Xinjiang had increased 24.86 percent.

However, despite comprising a minority, the Han population continues to dominate economic opportunities in Xinjiang’s urban centre, given the Mandarin linguistic biases that continue to dominate employment, tourism, and other economic opportunities. (Mandarin is the native language of the Han Chinese, while Uyghurs speak Uyghur.)

As Han Chinese living in Xinjiang dominate most economic opportunities and process more purchasing power, high-profile foreign firms are attracted to invest in business operations in the region. Similarly, Starbucks’ entry into Xinjiang’s market could be interpreted as one of these business strategies in China.

Secondly, Xinjiang is one of the strategic locations under the Ccp’s Belt & Road Initiative, connecting China with the Seven Stans, and the West via overland trade routes. Given Xinjiang’s geographic importance, the Ccp welcomed high profile foreign firms in the region. Irwin argued that such investment also serves a political purpose. By promoting economic development, the Ccp showcases its leadership and attempts to divert allegations of genocide.

In addition, Xinjiang does not require foreigners to obtain a special travel permit or to travel with a compulsory guide. Thus, Xinjiang has become an attractive destination for international travelers due to an accessible travel environment.

Glossary

Allegations: A statement, made without giving proof, that someone has done something wrong or illegal
Atrocity Crimes: an extremely cruel, violent, or shocking act
Complicity: Involvement in a crime or some activity that is wrong
Industrialization: The process of developing industries in a country
Intangible: Impossible to touch, to describe exactly, or to give an exact value
Heritage: Features belonging to the culture of a particular society, such as traditions, languages, or buildings, that were created in the past and still have historical importance
High Standard Firms: A level of quality or achievement, especially a level that is thought to be acceptable
Seven Stans: Central As ia countries consisting of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, all ending with the suffix-stan. The region holds strong strategic value, stretching from the Eurasian Steppes to the Arabian Sea, and connecting the West and East via land.

References

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Starbucks Enters Xinjiang, Prompts Human Rights Criticism

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