Are big hotels chains aiding genocide in Xinjiang? (feat. Peter Irwin)

August 5, 2025 | Radio Taiwan International

In 2016, there were only five international hotels in the Uyghur Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Today, that number has increased tenfold — and continues to grow. Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, Minor Hotels, and Wyndham are all opening and operating in the region, where the United States, the United Kingdom’s Parliament, and the European Parliament have stated that genocide is being committed against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities by Chinese authorities.

In this episode, Peter Irwin, Associate Director for Research and Advocacy at the Uyghur Human Rights Project, discusses why the expansion of international hotel chains in Xinjiang is contributing to ongoing atrocities against Uyghur communities and other Muslim groups.

Cited: Report by Peter Irwin, Dr. Henryk Szadziewski, Ben Carrdus, and a researcher who wishes to remain anonymous (It Does Matter Where You Stay: International Hotel Chains in East Turkistan).

Listen to the full podcast: https://www.rti.org.tw/en/podcast?uid=4&pid=1447