Activists are appealing to Tesla Inc. to close a new showroom in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang. The officials are accused of abuses against mostly Muslim ethnic minorities.
Tesla on Friday announced the opening of its showroom in Urumqi, the Xinjiang capital, and said on its Chinese social media account, “Let’s start Xinjiang’s all-electric journey!”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations on Monday called on Tesla and its chairman, Elon Musk, to close the showroom and “cease what amounts to economic support for genocide.” In a statement, the group’s communications director, Ibrahim Hooper said:
“No American corporation should be doing business in a region that is the focal point of a campaign of genocide targeting a religious and ethnic minority.”
Some 1 million Uyghurs and members of other mostly Muslim minorities have been confined in detention camps in Xinjiang, activists and foreign governments say. The accusations of abuse are rejected by Chinese officials. They say the camps are for job training and to combat extremis.