Starbucks opens first Xinjiang stores in Urumqi, drawing US backlash
Version 2: A later official news agency report dated the two Urumqi openings to Sept 29 and said they drew crowds of local residents, and further outlets added detail on the China joint venture, its store count and the absence of visible Uyghur-language signage on the new stores.
In short
Starbucks has opened its first two stores in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region: a flagship in Urumqi's Grand Bazaar and one at Urumqi International Airport. Yonhap reported the stores opened on Sept 29 and drew crowds of local residents. John Moolenaar, chairman of a US House committee on strategic competition with China, urged Starbucks to close them and called the decision “morally bankrupt”, while Human Rights Watch and the World Uyghur Congress said the move could support Chinese messaging on the region; China's Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism as “blatant lies”, and Starbucks China's chief executive said the company would keep investing in Xinjiang.
Read the full story 3 min read
Starbucks has opened its first stores in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region — two outlets in the regional capital Urumqi, according to Hankook Ilbo, Asia Economy, Electronic Times and Seoul Economic Daily, which cited the Financial Times, Reuters and Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao. One is a flagship in the Grand Bazaar, a main commercial area, and the other is at Urumqi International Airport. Yonhap reported the two stores opened on Sept 29 and drew crowds of local residents. Starbucks China chief executive Molly Liu said the entry was a chance to take part deeply in a vibrant local market and build lasting relationships with customers. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
US politicians and rights groups objected. John Moolenaar, the Republican chairman of a US House committee on strategic competition with China, said in an Oct 2 statement that Starbucks should close the stores immediately and called the decision “morally bankrupt”, saying there was no legitimate reason for a US company to operate in a region where, he said, the Chinese Communist Party detains more than a million Uyghurs and takes away their faith, language and culture. Human Rights Watch's Maya Wang said a Starbucks on Xinjiang streets “caters to” Chinese authorities' messaging that the region has no problems, and the World Uyghur Congress said companies should not contribute to an economy where state-led forced labour is a serious concern. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
China's Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism, calling it “blatant lies” and saying Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic growth, ethnic unity and religious harmony; Beijing says its policies there respond to terrorism, separatism and religious extremism. Starbucks said all its stores follow the same brand standards and values regardless of location. Electronic Times and Seoul Economic Daily, both citing Reuters, said Starbucks headquarters did not answer the agency's request for comment, while Liu said on the company's WeChat account that it would keep investing in Xinjiang. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Photographs and videos posted on social media showed Starbucks logos in English and Chinese at the new stores, with no clearly visible Uyghur-language signage; Uyghur is written in Arabic script and is officially used in Xinjiang alongside standard Chinese. Hankook Ilbo and Asia Economy reported that the outlets offer regional specialities such as salty milk tea, and that the Grand Bazaar store uses traditional ethnic instruments in its decor. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Starbucks opened its first store in China in 1999 and is seen in recent years as losing ground to local coffee and tea brands. Asia Economy reported that a joint venture completed at the end of March, 60% held by Boyu Capital and 40% by Starbucks, runs 8,342 stores in mainland China, up 331 from the end of fiscal 2025. Electronic Times, citing Reuters, said the restructuring was completed in April and the venture runs about 8,000 stores; Seoul Economic Daily also put the figure at about 8,000. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Hankook Ilbo reported that Xinjiang is under US-led sanctions over the mass detention of ethnic minorities, and that the UN human rights office concluded in 2022 that arbitrary mass detentions there could amount to crimes against humanity, a finding Beijing rejects. Hotel groups including Accor, Hilton and Marriott are investing in the region, with more than 50 hotels being built or planned on top of 163 already operating, and official Chinese figures put visits to Xinjiang last year at 323 million, up 8%. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The debut puts a global brand's stated social responsibility commitments against a region the documents describe as under US-led sanctions, exposing Starbucks to criticism in its home market while it seeks growth in China. The documents also show the opening being read by both sides as a signal about Xinjiang, with China's Foreign Ministry and US lawmakers using it to restate their positions.
Key facts
- Starbucks opened its first two stores in Xinjiang, both in the regional capital Urumqi: a flagship in the Grand Bazaar and one at Urumqi International Airport. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- John Moolenaar, chairman of the US House committee on strategic competition with China, urged Starbucks to close the stores and called the decision “morally bankrupt”. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Human Rights Watch and the World Uyghur Congress said the opening could support Chinese messaging that normalises conditions in Xinjiang. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- China's Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism as “blatant lies” and said Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic growth, ethnic unity and religious harmony. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Photographs and videos showed the logos in English and Chinese, with no clearly visible Uyghur-language signage. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Starbucks said all its stores follow the same brand standards and values regardless of location. [ 1 ]
- Starbucks' China retail business is run by a joint venture in which Boyu Capital holds 60% and Starbucks 40%. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Yonhap reported the two Urumqi stores opened on Sept 29. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Starbucks opened its first two stores in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, both in Urumqi. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- One store is a flagship in the Grand Bazaar and the other is at Urumqi International Airport. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- John Moolenaar, chairman of the US House committee on strategic competition with China, called for the stores to be closed and called the decision “morally bankrupt” in a statement dated Oct 2. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- China's Foreign Ministry rejected the human rights allegations as “blatant lies” and said Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic growth, ethnic unity and religious harmony. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Starbucks' China retail business is operated by a joint venture in which Boyu Capital holds 60% and Starbucks 40%. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Reported photos and videos of the new stores showed English and Chinese logos with no clearly visible Uyghur-language signage. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Starbucks headquarters did not answer Reuters' request for comment on the opening, as reported by outlets citing the agency. [ 3 , 5 ]
- Starbucks China chief executive Molly Liu said the entry was a chance to take part deeply in the local market and build lasting customer relationships. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- The exact date the stores opened. Yonhap says Sept 29, while the other outlets say only “recently” or “this week”; the date rests on a single outlet.
- How many stores the China joint venture operates. Asia Economy reports 8,342 stores in mainland China, up 331 from the end of fiscal 2025, while Electronic Times and Seoul Economic Daily say about 8,000.
- When the Boyu Capital joint venture was completed. Asia Economy says the end of March, while Electronic Times and Seoul Economic Daily, citing Reuters, say April.
- Whether the absence of Uyghur-language signage at the new stores is established. Outlets base this on photographs and social media videos in which no Uyghur lettering was clearly visible; none reports a company statement on the signage.
- How the Starbucks China chief executive's name is rendered. Hankook Ilbo and Asia Economy call her Molly Liu, while Electronic Times names her Liu Wenjuan; the documents do not say whether these refer to the same person.
- Whether the new outlets offer salty milk tea. Only Hankook Ilbo reports this menu detail.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Hankook Ilbo publishes its report, citing the Financial Times, and quotes Human Rights Watch's criticism. [ 1 ]
- Asia Economy reports the backlash from US politics and rights groups, including Moolenaar's Oct 2 statement, and the joint venture's store count. [ 2 ]
- Electronic Times reports, citing Reuters, that China's Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations and that the Starbucks China chief executive said on WeChat the company would keep investing in Xinjiang. [ 3 ]
- Kukmin Ilbo carries a summary of the opening and the backlash over the human rights situation. [ 4 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the opening, citing Reuters and Lianhe Zaobao, and the World Uyghur Congress criticism. [ 5 ]
- Yonhap's video report says the two stores opened in Urumqi on Sept 29 and drew crowds of local residents. [ 6 ]
- Yonhap publishes a short on Starbucks' first entry into Xinjiang. [ 7 ]