Starbucks Can't Afford a Misstep in Hong Kong
The coffee chain has to weigh its ambitious expansion plans in China against pressure to appease protesters.
A rock and a hard place.
Photographer: Justin Chin/BloombergCompanies from Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. to Inditex SA’s Zara are struggling to balance their business interests in China with Beijing’s disapproval of the pro-democracy protests that have seized Hong Kong since June. Add Starbucks Corp. to the list.
On Friday, prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong joined calls for Starbucks to cancel its franchise with one of the city’s biggest restaurant companies, after a member of the founder’s family expressed criticism of the unrest. Annie Wu, whose father established Maxim’s Caterers Ltd. in 1956, made these comments earlier this month at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, where she called the protests “riots” and expressed “full support” for the Hong Kong government and police. Wong’s tweet included a petition that has already picked up more than 12,000 signatures.