China lashes out at Xinjiang ‘lie’ after US lawmaker urges Starbucks to close new stores

China has strongly condemned US lawmaker John Moolenaar's call for Starbucks to cease operations in Xinjiang, dismissing claims of Chinese human rights abuses in the region as "a blatant lie". Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun asserted that Xinjiang today enjoys "social stability, economic prosperity, ethnic unity and religious harmony".

The Chinese government maintains that its policies in Xinjiang are aimed at combating terrorism, separatism and religious extremism, rejecting allegations of widespread abuses against Uygur Muslims. Starbucks, which opened its first stores in Xinjiang last week in Urumqi, the capital, and at Urumqi Tianshan International Airport, has positioned itself as a staunch advocate for social responsibility.

However, Moolenaar accused the US coffee chain of operating in a region where over a million Uygurs have been detained and stripped of their faith, language and culture. Last year, Starbucks joined forces with Chinese private-equity firm Boyu Capital in a joint venture to expand its presence in China, with Beijing seeing the move as a key growth market.

The Xinjiang expansion has, however, become entangled in a long-standing dispute between the US and China over alleged human rights violations in the region. The US has imposed restrictions on imports from Xinjiang, citing the alleged use of forced labor, while China has rejected these claims.