Unhappy with Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta buying AI startup Manus, Chinese government to startups: Reject funding from American origin companies, unless …

The US-China trade war is back, and in full steam. There have been two parallel moves in the recent weeks, marking a significant escalation of the US-China AI war. In the latest move, China’s industry regulator has asked Facebook-parent Meta to withdraw a $2 billion acquisition transaction of Singapore-based AI company with Chinese roots Manus. What makes this more interesting is that the offer to cancel the deal comes almost four months after it was announced, which is in December 2025. In a statement, the China’s National Development and Reform Commission said that the decision to prohibit foreign investment in Manus AI was made in accordance with the country’s laws and regulations. It further added that the parties involved have been told to withdraw the acquisition transaction.