China slams US ‘lie’ over Starbucks stores in Xinjiang

China's foreign ministry launched a fierce rebuttal against a US congressional committee on Saturday, accusing it of "fabricating claims" after its chairman called for Starbucks to shut down two newly opened cafes in Xinjiang. John Moolenaar, chairman of the US House Select Committee on China, denounced the decision to open stores in Urumqi, Xinjiang's regional capital, on Tuesday as "morally bankrupt" and urged the company to close the cafes, marking the brand's debut in the region.

Moolenaar argued that the stores' presence "ties an iconic American brand to the CCP's brutal campaign against the Uyghurs," a reference to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

Activists and foreign governments have long accused Chinese authorities of widespread rights abuses against Xinjiang's predominantly Muslim Uyghur minority, with the US labeling the situation a genocide. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun vehemently denied these allegations on Saturday, labeling the committee's claims "habitually fabricated out of thin air for political purposes to attack and smear China."

Guo asserted that the "genocide" in Xinjiang is "a blatant lie." The UN had previously warned in 2022 of potential crimes against humanity in the region, including the detention of over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in camps. Human rights groups contend that serious abuses, including forced labor, persist in the area.