Just "Star Bazaar" can break the defense? Then let me tell you, international hotels are also going to Xinjiang in droves.

If you only hear the so-called "forced labor" and "human rights persecution" from some Western politicians and media, then Xinjiang is probably a place not suitable for normal business activities.

However, at the end of September this year, Starbucks opened the country's first intangible cultural heritage flagship store in Urumqi International Grand Bazaar. The queue at the door stretched from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., which undoubtedly gave the loudest slap in the face to those absurd rumors.

Take your eyes away from this cup of coffee and look up at the skyline of Xinjiang, and you will also find that a larger-scale "settlement" is taking place: the Ritz-Carlton tower has topped out, the Intercontinental cluster has risen from the ground, and Conrad opened its doors to welcome guests during the snow season...

While some Western politicians are still outputting "empty accusations" on the screen, multinational giants from across the ocean have already poured into northwest China with real money.

International hotels "collectively grab the beach" in Xinjiang

The Ritz-Carlton hotel cluster in Urumqi is the first super five-star hotel cluster in Xinjiang, and the project construction is progressing in an orderly manner. Hilton and Conrad in the same city have been operating for many years, and new projects such as InterContinental Hotel are also coming into the market.

The construction of the Ritz-Carlton hotel cluster project in Urumqi is progressing in an orderly manner.

In Kashgar, southern Xinjiang, an InterContinental hotel cluster is rising from the edge of the old city; in northern Xinjiang, Hemu, Conrad and Hilton will open in 2025, and Indigo is about to debut. In addition, Yining’s Intercontinental and EVEN dual-brand hotels, the Kuqa Hilton with an investment of 800 million yuan, the Aksu Marriott cluster with an investment of 1.4 billion yuan, and the Sailimu Lake JW Marriott cluster with an investment of 2.9 billion yuan...

When giants such as Marriott, InterContinental, and Hilton spread their stores all over Xinjiang, this was by no means an accidental "test of the waters" by one or two brands, but a tacit "collective land grab" completed by international business capital amid the "warning" of anti-China public opinion in the West.

Conrad Altay Hemu Hotel

There are no lies in the accounts of multinational giants

This group of multinational hotel groups are not philanthropists, let alone "silly white sweets" who are easily deceived by a few words of "propaganda." Opening a luxury hotel often requires an investment of hundreds of millions, and it often takes ten years from signing the contract to paying back the investment. What they consider is the return on investment, and what they calculate is all about the long-term future.

The first page of this account is filled with “traffic” visible to the naked eye.

In 2025, Xinjiang will receive 323 million tourists and spend 370.089 billion yuan on tourism, both hitting record highs. During the Spring Festival of 2026, Xinjiang cultural tourism bookings increased by 37%, and searches for "hotels near the Grand Bazaar" increased by 196% year-on-year. Where there is popularity, there is wealth. This is the simplest common sense in business.

The trump card in this account is Xinjiang’s irreplaceable location and industry. This is the land "golden channel" for China-Europe trains to connect Central Asia and Europe.

The most direct evidence is the "feet" of Wall Street and multinational giants:

In 2025, the number of newly established foreign-funded enterprises in Xinjiang surged by 21.97%, and the actual utilization of foreign capital surged by 9.8%. If you look at the list of the top ten shareholders of listed companies in Xinjiang, you will find that Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Barclays, Merrill Lynch International... these top investment banks have already quietly entered the game.

The flow of real money is the most honest language in the world

If you want to debunk the absurd narrative of "forced labor", you don't actually need to make a lengthy statement at all. You only need to go to the guest room corridor of the hotel to see the cleaning aunt, go to the restaurant to see the walking waiters, go to the front desk to see the receptionist who helps you check in, and they receive text messages every month that their wages have been paid.

Just like in the "Star Bazaar", among the more than 20 shop assistants, there are local children who have returned to their hometowns, and there are also young people who have come to Xinjiang from other provinces. They are busy memorizing recipes, reviewing performance, and making friends, and they really have no time to cooperate with politicians on the other side of the ocean in performing "victim drama."

"Star Bazaar" clerk Alimujiang Yiminjiang (middle) introduces products to customers.

As Sha Boli, emeritus professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said: Investors may initially hesitate due to discrediting reports, but after investigation, they will find that there is absolutely no evidence of systematic "forced labor" in Xinjiang, so they invest according to their conscience and show the confidence that they have done their homework when they are accused.

In the playbook of some Western forces, Xinjiang people can only be in two states: "imprisonment" or "forced labor."

Therefore, seeing Starbucks and luxury hotels rising from the ground, they can only rush and label them as "whitewashing human rights."

But in the face of real money, cheap talk is destined to be worthless; the roar of laying the foundation will always be louder than the slander in the office.

Author: Wang Beichuan

(Source: "Little Compass" WeChat public account)