China blocks Meta's $2B Manus acquisition

Last month, China barred the founders of the AI startup from leaving the country, as the deal was being probed on national security grounds.

Meta said Monday that the transaction "complied fully with applicable law" and that it anticipates "an appropriate resolution to the inquiry." n.pr/4tDyMB1

"China has blocked Meta’s $2bn acquisition of artificial intelligence app Manus, as Washington and Beijing vie for dominance over the emerging technology."

Beijing blocks Meta's proposed purchase of AI firm Manus, a start-up that is officially registered in Singapore but developed its products in mainland China. www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/ar...

China blocks Meta’s acquisition of AI startup Manus, citing foreign investment security reviews. The National Development and Reform Commission orders all parties to withdraw, halting the transfer of autonomous agent technology just weeks before a planned US-China summit in Beijing.

Meta forced by China's National Development & Reform Commission to divest agentic AI firm Manus, months after it claimed its acquisition of the Chinese company had closed. Interestingly, its the NDRC that did this, not the usual market regulator: the State Administration for Market Regulation. 1/

China blocks Chinese AI company sale to Meta. “Manus CEO Hong and Chief Scientist Yichao Ji are reportedly under exit bans, preventing them from leaving mainland China.”

China blocks Meta's $2B Manus acquisition, after reviewing whether it violated investment rules, and tells both to cancel it; Manus moved to Singapore in 2025 (Financial Times) techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?...

China Will Require Meta to Unwind Acquisition of AI Start-Up Manus www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/b...

”The decision marks an extraordinary late-stage intervention by Beijing, involving two non-Chinese companies. Meta had already begun to integrate software from Manus, which was founded in China but relocated to Singapore last year.“

It appears you can't move your AI company from China to Singapore in order to be sold to an American tech giant www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

China just paid back Donald Trump's fucking about with the TikTok divestiture with interest www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The WSJ reports that Meta Platforms may have to reverse its Manus acquisition after a ban in China.

www.ft.com/content/1e4c... China blocks Meta’s $2bn purchase of AI group Manus

Beijing blocks Meta acquisition of Chinese AI startup Manus ground.news/article/brea...