China accuses US committee of fabricating Xinjiang Starbucks claims
China has hit back at US criticism of Starbucks opening stores in Xinjiang, calling accusations of a brutal campaign against Uyghurs a lie. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the US House Select Committee on China was fabricating claims for political purposes.
China has rejected as a lie US accusations that Starbucks acted immorally by opening its first cafes in Xinjiang, with a foreign ministry spokesman accusing Washington of fabricating claims for political purposes.
John Moolenaar, chairman of the US House Select Committee on China, on Tuesday called the decision to open stores in the regional capital Urumqi “morally bankrupt” and urged the coffee chain to close them. He said the move “ties an iconic American brand to the CCP's brutal campaign against the Uyghurs”.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun responded on Saturday by accusing the select committee of “habitually fabricating claims out of thin air for political purposes to attack and smear China”. He added: “The so-called 'genocide' in Xinjiang is a blatant lie.”
Starbucks, which opened the stores on Tuesday, has not commented on the controversy. The company’s expansion into Xinjiang marks its first presence in the region.