US lawmaker urges Starbucks to close Xinjiang outlet in China over Uyghur oppression

China, meanwhile, has rejected widespread accusations of abuses against Uyghurs. Starbucks is facing criticism in the United States after opening its first two outlets in China's Xinjiang region, with a US lawmaker urging the company to shut them down over alleged repression of Uyghurs.John Moolenaar, chairman of the House of Representatives' Select Committee on China, said Starbucks should "immediately reverse course and close its stores" in the region.The two outlets opened this week in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi. One is located at the city's Grand Bazaar, while the other is at the international airport.Moolenaar described Starbucks' decision to operate in Xinjiang as a "morally bankrupt decision", arguing that the company should not be doing business in a region where the US has accused Chinese authorities of widespread abuses against Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic group."This is a shocking and morally bankrupt decision by a company that prides itself on social responsibility," he said in a statement published on Thursday."There is no justifiable reason for an American company to do business in a region where the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) has detained more than a million Uy...