China’s Xi rips calls for ‘technological blockades’

China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday condemned calls from some in the international community to participate in what he called “technological blockades” against Beijing.

“We must jointly oppose anyone engaging in technological blockades, technological division and decoupling of development,” Xi said in an online speech streamed to left-leaning political parties from more than 100 countries, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Xi said no country should “obstruct the development of other countries and harm their people’s lives through political manipulation.”

His remarks come after the U.S. and others said they needed to move away from Chinese suppliers and stop sharing technologies with the country.

Xi said last week that China will not be “bullied” and “anyone who would attempt to do so will find themselves on a collision course with a great wall of steel forged by over 1.4 billion Chinese people.”

The House last month passed legislation that would boost scientific research in an effort to make the U.S. more competitive with China. Lawmakers passed two bipartisan bills to increase funding for the National Science Foundation and establish a new directorate for science and engineering to expand research opportunities as well as authorize research funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The House vote followed Senate passage of a massive bill to provide funding for the National Science Foundation, Department of Commerce, Energy Department and NASA.