China has blocked Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus, a deal the Facebook parent had already declared complete in a move that signals Beijing is willing to treat artificial intelligence talent and technology as a hard national security line, regardless of where the company is formally headquartered.

The announcement came on Monday by the National Development and Reform Commission of China, just a month before the meeting scheduled between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Why did China block Manus?

Meta announced the acquisition of Manus in December, positioning it as a rare case of a major US tech group buying an AI company with deep Chinese roots. Manus, formally operated by Singapore-registered........

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