Chinese officials are reviewing Meta’s acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus for potential violations of technology export controls, according to people familiar with the matter. The Ministry of Commerce is examining whether the relocation of Manus’ staff and technology to Singapore, followed by the sale to Meta, required an export license under Chinese law. The review remains in an early stage and may not result in a formal investigation.
Meta completed the deal last month, valuing the Singapore-based company at between $2 billion and $3 billion. Regulators could still use licensing requirements to influence the transaction, including seeking changes to the deal structure in extreme cases.
Manus gained attention earlier this year after releasing what it described as a general AI agent capable of making autonomous decisions and executing tasks with minimal prompting. The product positioned itself as more independent than conversational systems such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek, highlighting growing interest in agent-based AI models.
The case underscores how governments are increasingly focused on how sensitive software, talent, and data move across jurisdictions, particularly as global technology companies expand their AI acquisition strategies.
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