The Chinese government has officially blocked Meta Platforms Inc.'s acquisition of Manus, an AI company founded by Chinese entrepreneurs, due to national security concerns. This decision, made on April 27, follows months of scrutiny after Meta announced the $2 billion acquisition in December 2025. Chinese regulators had been reviewing the deal since January 2026 and had restricted the cofounders of Manus from leaving China during the investigation. Manus gained attention for its innovative AI agent, designed to assist users with tasks such as searching for homes or booking travel. The AI agent employs multiple sub-agents to efficiently perform and verify tasks, which attracted Meta's interest as part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's initiative to develop personal AI tools. The blocking of this acquisition underscores the escalating tensions and challenges faced by US and Chinese tech companies in pursuing cross-border deals in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.