Ajit Pai, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, came out Monday against the idea that the federal government should build a nationwide 5G wireless network as part of an effort to fend off spying by China.

"The market, not government, is best positioned to drive innovation and investment," Pai said in a statement he tweeted Monday.

I oppose any proposal for the federal government to build and operate a nationwide 5G network. The market, not the government, is best positioned to drive innovation and investment. https://t.co/viIDB4mb0f pic.twitter.com/hgxRLtwoU4 — Ajit Pai (@AjitPaiFCC) January 29, 2018

Pai was responding to a report Sunday from a senior administration official that President Donald Trump’s national security team was looking at options to counteract the threat of China spying on U.S. phone calls, including building a super-fast 5G network.