Meta acquires Manus aftermath: the National Development and Reform Commission demands Yue Zhi An Mian, Jie Yue Xing Chen, and others refuse US investment, ByteDance also restricted

ME News message: On April 24 (UTC+8), Bloomberg, citing informed sources, reported that Chinese regulatory authorities—including the National Development and Reform Commission—have, in recent weeks, asked multiple AI companies to refuse capital sourced from the United States in fundraising unless they receive explicit government approval. Darker Than the Moon and Stepping Star, both preparing for an IPO, have already received related guidance from the NDRC. ByteDance has also been instructed not to introduce new U.S. investors through methods such as transferring existing shares without approval.

This move is part of Beijing’s continued escalation of regulatory response following Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of the Chinese AI agent startup Manus. Previously, China imposed outbound travel restrictions on Manus co-founders Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao and reviewed whether the transaction would violate technology export controls and foreign investment regulations. (Source: Bloomberg)