China Deepens Review of Meta’s Landmark $2 Billion Manus Buyout

Beijing is deepening an investigation into Meta Platforms Inc.’s $2 billion acquisition of Chinese-founded AI startup Manus, raising the risk that regulators will seek to alter or even unwind the deal if wrongdoing is found.

Chinese officials had begun looking into whether the December takeover of the agentic AI startup violated tech export or national security regulations. The central issue is whether Chinese technology or user data could have been compromised or shared with an American company. Regulators are now also investigating potential violations of rules governing cross-border currency flows, tax accounting and overseas investments, people familiar with the matter said.