China Blocks Meta’s $2B Acquisition of Manus AI in Landmark Security Move

Chinese regulators, led by the NDRC, formally prohibited Meta’s proposed multi-billion dollar acquisition of Manus AI—an AI agent startup that relocated its headquarters to Singapore—citing risks from the company’s China-origin core technology and extensive data assets. The decision, which followed export control reviews, executive inquiries, and exit bans on the founders, signals Beijing’s insistence that relocation does not circumvent oversight of strategic AI capabilities and represents a major setback to Meta’s AI acquisition strategy.