Chinese authorities are considering whether to step in over Meta Platforms’ acquisition of Manus – an artificial intellligence agent developer with Chinese roots – amid concerns the deal could breach technology export controls and encourage more start-ups to relocate offshore, according to two sources.

One of the sources said officials, including at the Ministry of Commerce, were looking into the transaction and that the review could lead to action. The other said the chances of intervention were high because the Manus case could set an uncomfortable precedent for other Chinese AI companies to follow by moving their operations abroad.

Meta and Manus did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China’s commerce ministry did not respond to a faxed inquiry.

Meta’s reported US$2.5 billion price tag has buoyed some Chinese investors and entrepreneurs by offering a rare, high-profile cash exit.

But the deal has also raised eyebrows in Beijing, where academics and lawyers have debated whether Manus’ relocation from China to Singapore last summer – widely seen as a step to facilitate the transaction – may have run afoul of China’s technology export control regime.

Manus rose to fame in March last year after releasing what it described as the world’s first general AI agent – software that can complete tasks on a user’s behalf. The team initially operated in Beijing and Wuhan, but had moved to Singapore by mid-June 2025, laying off some China-based staff and shutting down its Chinese social media accounts.