China orders Meta to unwind $2.5B acquisition of AI startup Manus

Livemint, Business Standard and Economic Times reported that China's National Development and Reform Commission ordered Meta Platforms to unwind its $2.5 billion acquisition of Chinese AI startup Manus on national security grounds. The move blocks technology transfer and reflects Beijing's tightening control over frontier AI assets and talent. This constitutes a major escalation in US-China AI strategic tensions and directly constrains Meta's expansion in the Chinese AI ecosystem.