Tesla CEO Elon Musk was accused of ‘economical support for genocide’ following the opening of a showroom in China’s Xinjiang, despite China having detained potentially millions Uyghur Muslims.
Tesla’s announcement immediately attracted the criticism of rights and trade group, becoming the latest foreign firm to get caught up in tensions regarding the Chinese area.
U.N. specialists and rights groups have estimated that more than one million Uyghurs, and other Muslim minorities, were held in these camps.
As a result, Xinjiang has become a significant point of conflict between Western governments and China in recent years, with a London tribunal ruling last month that China was carrying out genocide of Uyghur Muslims in the region.
Despite these tensions the U.S. electrical car maker, announced on its official Weibo page last Friday that the showroom was opening in Urumqi (Xinjiang’s regional capital), despite the tensions.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk (pictured), was accused of ‘economical support for genocide’ following the opening of a showroom in China’s Xinjiang, despite China detaining potentially millions Uyghur Muslims.
Tesla wrote in the blog, “On the last day in 2021 we meet at Xinjiang,” “Let’s get started on Xinjiang’s all electric journey!”
The Times reports that the country has long planned to open the showroom in order to provide sales and delivery services to customers.
American organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, urged Tesla’s chairman, Elon Musk, Monday to shut down its showroom.
Ibrahim Hooper (communications director for the group) stated that no American company should do business in the region where a genocide campaign is taking place.
America has also called China’s treatment Uyghurs in Xinjiang and of other Muslims there genocide. Over the matter, the United States and some other countries have planned a diplomatic boycott against the Beijing Winter Olympics.
China rejected allegations of forced labour and other abuses in China, stating that camps offer vocational training. Companies should also respect the policies.
“Elon Musk must close Tesla’s Xinjiang showroom,” Council on American-Islamic Relations said on Twitter. It also referred to Tesla’s founder.
The Alliance for American Manufacturing in the U.S. and Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator, also voiced similar criticisms.

January 4, 2022, Beijing: A Tesla showroom receptionist. American-based activists appeal to Tesla Inc. that it close a new showroom, located in China’s northern region of Xinjiang. This is where officials have been accused of abuses of mostly Muslim ethnic minority minorities.
Rubio tweeted that “Nationless corporations help the Chinese Communist Party cover-up genocide in the region”
Executive director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth wrote: ‘What is @Tesla thinking, choosing to open a showroom in Xinjiang as the Chinese government, through its mass detention and persecution, is committing crimes against humanity there against Uyghur/Turkic Muslims.’
Tesla has not yet responded to Reuters news agency’s request for comment. Tesla has a Shanghai factory and plans to increase production amid rising sales in China.
There has been an increase in pressure on foreign corporations to position themselves on Xinjiang Tibet Taiwan, and other politically sensitive issues.
Companies are pushed by the ruling Communist Party to follow its lead in advertising and web design. Clothing and brands who express concern about forced labour or other abuses in Xinjiang have been attacked by the Communist Party.
These tensions between China and the West over Xinjiang have tripped up a number of foreign companies in recent months as they attempt to reconcile China’s market power and China’s supply-base importance.

Xinjiang is a key point of contention between China and Western governments in recent years. A London tribunal ruled last month that China had committed genocide against Uyghur Muslims living in the area.
Walmart Inc. was threatened with a boycott by the government’s disciplinary agency on Friday after some customers complained that they could not find products from Xinjiang at its Sam’s Club and Walmart stores.
After being attacked by the state media and online comments calling for a boycott, Intel Corp. (the world’s largest maker of computer chips) apologised to its suppliers for not sourcing products from Xinjiang.
The United States bans imports from Xinjiang unless it can be proven that they are not made using forced labor.
Other international brands, such as General Motors, Nissan Motor Co. and Volkswagen have showrooms located in Xinjiang. These are managed by Chinese joint-venture partner automakers. VW has a Urumqi factory.
In July, Swedish fashion retailer H&M reported a 23 percent drop in local currency sales in China for its March-May quarter after it was hit by a consumer boycott in March for stating publicly that it did not source products from Xinjiang.
Many foreign companies have stores in the area, even though some are trying to decrease their exposure to the region’s supply chains, particularly since Washington has banned imports of Xinjiang cotton and blacklisted Chinese companies it claims have aided Beijing.
China is Tesla’s most important market. In 2019, the company opened its first overseas factory in Shanghai.
Meanwhile, it was reported on Tuesday that Tesla founder Elon Mask has added $32.6 billion to his net worth, bringing his fortune to $304.2 billion.
Musk’s new fortune saw him surpass the $300 billion mark he temporarily reached in November. This made him the first person ever to achieve this milestone.
Forbes claims that SpaceX’s founder SpaceX, an controversial billionaire who has mastered social media and is also well-known for his wealth, remains at the top of the rich world list heading into 2019.
Bernard Arnault (CEO of LVMH), is second, $103.6 billion ahead Musk. Forbes reported that Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon and the former-CEO.
South Africans’ growing wealth can again be attributed to Tesla’s skyrocketing stock price.