Elon Musk announces new venture of Tesla showroom in Xinjiang; criticised brutally

Tesla CEO Elon Musk always remains in the spotlight for his space research projects and sometimes for his activities on social media that include sharing bizarre memes, cryptic phrases, and sometimes thought-provoking questions. The billionaire is once again creating headlines, but this time for the wrong reason. Since Tesla announced that it has started a business in China's north-western region of Xinjiang, US rights and trade groups have been criticising him for choosing Xinjiang as it has been a region where Chinese officials are often accused of abuses against Uyghur Muslim and other ethnic minorities.

Tesla announced on Friday that the company would be opening its showroom in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. "Let's start Xinjiang's all-electric journey!" it wrote on its social media account. Tesla's new venture in Xinjiang has attracted a lot of criticism and some have even called this an open support of genocide.

On Monday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations asked Tesla and its chairman, Elon Musk, to stop doing business in the Xinjiang region and "cease what amounts to economic support for genocide."

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." However, it is to be noted that the US and a few other countries have decided to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics scheduled to be held in February.

Elon Musk criticised for opening Tesla showroom in Xinjiang

Activists and internal communities claim that around 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities residing in the Xinjiang region have been forcefully kept in detention camps. Chinese officials are also accused of committing crimes, including exploitation, forced labor, raping girls and women, and assaulting the minorities in that region. However, the Chinese government has denied the accusations and says the camps were established for job training. The United Nations, on the other hand, has imposed a ban on the import of goods from the Xinjiang region unless the Chinese government proves that the products are not manufactured through forced labor. It is necessary to mention that China is one of Tesla's biggest markets. The  US electric car maker opened its first factory outside America in Shanghai in 2019. Meanwhile, other foreign auto brands such as General Motors, Nissan Motor Co, and Volkswagen have showrooms in the Xinjian region.

With Inputs from AP

Image: AP