Beijing has decided to prohibit the acquisition of the agentic AI startup Manus by Meta Platforms, an operation estimated at 2 billion dollars, or around 1.7 billion euros, in the name of the rules governing foreign investments. Behind this decision, Chinese authorities, via the National Development and Reform Commission, explicitly aim to prevent the transfer of sensitive technologies to the United States.
This intervention, even though the transaction was already largely executed, with integrated talents and paid capital, marks a clear hardening of Chinese doctrine: the origin of the founders and technologies now takes precedence over the legal location of the companies. It comes in a context of increased rivalry with Washington, a few weeks before a meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump.
Beyond the Manus case, the signal is systemic: Beijing intends to limit the access of American capital and actors to its AI ecosystem, even if it means weakening the sector’s historic financing mechanisms.
