China forces Meta to unwind $2bn AI deal in rare completed transaction block

Beijing just proved it will tear apart finished deals when strategic assets are at stake. China's National Development and Reform Commission ordered Meta to unwind its $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus, despite the Singapore-based firm already integrating staff into Meta's operations as business filings confirm. This marks an unprecedented intervention in a completed cross-border transaction involving non-Chinese entities, signaling Beijing's willingness to weaponize regulatory reviews regardless of corporate nationality. The timing, weeks before an expected Xi-Trump summit, suggests China is setting the terms for any broader tech détente.