NAIROBI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States attempts to smear China in order to slow down its development by creating a bill on China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a Kenyan expert has said.

Referring to the so-called "Uygur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020" as "simply nonsense," Peter Kagwanja, founding president and chief executive of Kenya's Africa Policy Institute, a pan-African think tank, said Washington is using "the new human rights campaign" to attack China.

The West has always been using human rights as the "sharpest arrow" to attack its rivals, as China has made spectacular success in containing COVID-19 and earned applause from the international community, Kagwanja told Xinhua in an interview Friday.

The United States self-proclaimed as the world's human rights champion, however, it turned a blind eye to the serious racial discrimination and human rights abuse within its border, such as the recent killing of African Americans that sparked worldwide protests, he said.

In response to the U.S. interference, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday in a statement that the Chinese government and people expressed strong indignation at and firm opposition to the signing of the so-called act by the United States.

It deliberately denigrated the human rights conditions in China's Xinjiang, viciously attacked the Chinese government's Xinjiang policy, blatantly violated international law and basic norms governing international relations, and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region also issued a statement Thursday, saying the U.S. act wantonly slandered and groundlessly criticized the human rights situation in Xinjiang as well as its counter-terrorism and deradicalization efforts.

Kagwanja said contrary to the U.S. claims, China emphasized respect for equality of all nations, cultures and civilizations while tackling issues related to counter-terrorism.

"China has also been steadfast in supporting counter-terrorism measures within multilateralism, especially within the context of the United Nations," he added.