Calls for a reassessment of operations in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have intensified, following revelations that InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the parent company of Holiday Inn, is continuing to expand its presence in the region. Senior parliamentarians, including former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, have joined forces in a cross-party letter urging the hotel chain to reconsider its business within a context fraught with allegations of genocide against the Uyghur Muslim population.
The Xinjiang region has become a focal point of international concern due to systemic human rights abuses reported by multiple human rights organisations. Analysis by the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) highlights that IHG operates four hotels in Xinjiang and plans to open at least 16 more in the coming years. Such expansions occur in a backdrop of severe critiques of the Chinese government’s actions, which include mass surveillance, religious repression, and forced labour targeting Uyghur and other ethnic minorities.
Members of Parliament, from a variety of political backgrounds, have voiced their apprehensions about IHG's activities. In their letter, the signatories articulated that foreign companies may unwittingly entrench human rights violations in their business practices. They noted that to operate in Xinjiang poses intrinsic risks—not only to the companies’ reputations but also to their ethical standing, as they may appear to endorse state-led abuses.
Concerns over multinational corporations operating in regions with well-documented human rights violations are not unique to IHG. In July 2021, a U.S. congressional commission urged Hilton to withdraw from a hotel development project on the site of a razed mosque in Xinjiang, fearing it could be seen as tacit approval of the region's oppressive policies. Similarly, a 2021 United Nations working group found links between over 150 companies and reported human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including forced labour and human trafficking. This mounting pressure reflects a broader expectation that companies conduct thorough human rights due diligence to avert complicity in abuses.
Highlighting the disconnect between corporate interests and human rights concerns, Luke De Pulford, Executive Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, stated that only those indifferent to the human cost would seek to expand in such a context. He positioned consumer power as a crucial avenue for holding companies accountable, encouraging customers to "vote with their feet."
IHG has faced scrutiny not only in Xinjiang but also in other contentious regions such as Tibet. In an incident from 2014, civil society group Free Tibet accused IHG of failing to prevent complicity in human rights violations concerning a planned hotel in Lhasa—a charge that emphasized the difficulties faced by multinational corporations in ensuring ethical operational standards in geopolitically sensitive areas.
Amidst these criticisms, IHG appears committed to continuing its expansion in Xinjiang, recently highlighting a new InterContinental Hotel set to open in Ghulja City later this year. According to the UHRP, this trend of installing international hotels is not simply about business; it risks whitewashing the ongoing campaigns against Uyghur identity and culture, effectively boosting Beijing’s narratives while undermining the gravitas of the humanitarian crisis.
The company’s recent marketing strategies have also drawn fire. A promotional webpage—now removed—previously advertised its Xinjiang properties with overt appeals to tourists, portraying the region as an enticing travel destination. This messaging, juxtaposed with the realities of state-sponsored repression, underscores a disturbing narrative where hospitality chains might contribute to the normalisation of the region's political situation.
Dr. Henryk Szadziewski, co-author of the UHRP report, articulated the moral quandary, stating that the mere presence of international hotel chains in Xinjiang during a genocide is "morally indefensible" and challenges any industry assertion that it adheres to corporate social responsibility. He emphasised, “By portraying the region as a normal travel destination, international hotel chains risk enabling the ongoing persecution of the Uyghur people.”
As the international community continues to grapple with human rights issues in Xinjiang, the pressure on IHG and similar corporations to take a definitive stance on their ethical obligations grows. With public sentiment increasingly aligned with human rights advocacy, the path ahead for these hospitality giants will likely hinge on their ability to navigate this complex interplay of profit, responsibility, and ethics.
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Source: Noah Wire Services