China blocks meta's purchase of ai pioneer manus

China's government has ordered Meta to unwind its acquisition of emerging AI startup Manus, which develops autonomous agents. Meta announced the deal in December as part of an initiative to create general-purpose AI agents across its products. The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic policy-setting body, announced the prohibition of Meta's investment in Manus on Monday without providing further details.

Meta's ambitions on the line

The transaction complied fully with applicable laws, and we expect a suitable resolution to the review, a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider. Manus, founded in China but relocated to Singapore in mid-2025, made headlines last year after presenting a prototype of an AI agent capable of autonomous tasks like stock analysis. The company claimed the agent would have no ties to China after the acquisition, although how this separation would be achieved remains unclear, given some joint work is already underway. Manus recently announced an integration with Meta's advertising management tools, describing it as