John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on China, said Thursday that Starbucks must immediately shut its two newly opened stores in Urumqi.
The outlets, located at the Grand Bazaar and the international airport, opened earlier this week, bringing the chain’s first presence to the heart of Xinjiang.
Moolenaar called the move "morally bankrupt," pointing to Beijing’s record of detaining more than a million Uyghurs and eroding their language and culture.
Starbucks has not yet issued any statement in response to the call, despite requests from U.S. lawmakers; meanwhile, a WeChat post defended its expansion as part of a broader strategy to blend local culture with customer experience, citing ongoing investment in the region.
China’s foreign ministry declined to comment, while Beijing insists its Xinjiang policies target terrorism, separatism and extremism.
The joint venture that launched the new stores gives Boyu Capital a 60% stake and has already opened around 8,000 Starbucks outlets across China, underscoring the scale of the company’s China footprint.