{
  "id": 11866429,
  "title": "China slams US ‘lie’ over Starbucks stores in Xinjiang",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/china-slams-us-lie-over-starbucks-stores-in-xinjiang",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-04T06:30:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hong Kong Free Press",
    "slug": "hong-kong-free-press-hongkongfp",
    "url": "https://hongkongfp.com/2026/10/04/china-slams-us-lie-over-starbucks-stores-in-xinjiang/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "China's foreign ministry strongly denied accusations from a US congressional committee on Saturday, claiming the committee was \"fabricating claims\" in an attempt to tarnish China's image. The controversy stems from a call by John Moolenaar, chairman of the US House Select Committee on China, urging Starbucks to close two recently opened cafes in Xinjiang. Moolenaar called the decision to open stores in Urumqi, the capital of the region, \"morally bankrupt\" and linked it to the Chinese Communist Party's alleged crackdown on the Uyghur minority.\n\nActivists and foreign governments have long accused Chinese authorities of widespread rights abuses against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs, with the US labeling the situation a genocide. However, Chinese officials vehemently dispute these claims, with Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, labeling the accusations as \"blatant lies.\" Moolenaar's comments come amid ongoing warnings from the United Nations about potential crimes against humanity in the region, with reports of over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities detained in camps.",
  "summary": "China’s foreign ministry accused a US congressional committee on Saturday of “fabricating claims” after its chairman called on Starbucks to shutter two newly opened cafes in Xinjiang over alleged rights abuses. John Moolenaar, chairman of the US House Select Committee on China, called the decision to open stores in the regional capital Urumqi on Tuesday […]",
  "key_points": [
    "China's foreign ministry denies US accusations as \"fabricated lies\"",
    "US congressman urges Starbucks to close Xinjiang cafes, calls it \"morally bankrupt\"",
    "UN warns of potential crimes against humanity in Uyghur region"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hong Kong Free Press",
        "title": "China slams US ‘lie’ over Starbucks stores in Xinjiang",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/china-slams-us-lie-over-starbucks-stores-in-xinjiang-11868012",
        "published": "2026-10-04T06:30:21.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}