One day before the end of 2025, Meta announced the purchase of Manusthe Singapore-based artificial intelligence startup, for $2.5 billion. With this acquisition, Meta wants to strengthen its position in agentic AI, that is if the agreement comes to fruition. The Chinese authorities have something to say.
What is happening. They count in South China Morning Post that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce is going to launch an investigation into the Manus purchase. Although the startup is registered in Singapore, the company developed its products in China, giving Beijing a legal basis to investigate whether moving personnel and technology to Singapore required an export license under Chinese law.
Why is it important. The purchase of Manus can be taken as an example for other Chinese startups to follow: develop their product with Chinese talent taking advantage of the more favorable conditions, move the headquarters to Singapore and jump to the West, avoiding Chinese supervision. From China, this is perceived as a drain on talent and technology, as well as an uncomfortable fact: that the United States is a more attractive destination for AI companies.
What can happen. At the moment the investigation has only been announced and it is possible that it will remain just that, but if Beijing concludes that Manus needed an export license, it is possible that they will influence the transaction. According to Financial Timesin an extreme case they could even force the parties to abandon the agreement. It doesn’t seem like it will go that far since, from China, Manus is not seen as a critical technology. Neither Meta nor Manus have commented anything on the matter.
Manus. The company gained notoriety in March 2025 when it launched its AI agent. At that time the company operated in Beijing and Wuhan, but In July he moved to Singaporelaying off some of the Chinese staff. Their product is an AI agent capable of building web pages, developing apps and carrying out complex tasks, but does not have its own language modelbut works based on Claude and Qwen.
Singapore ‘washing’. Manus is not the only company that has played the Singapore card to attract customers from abroad. It is a common practice known as “Singapore washing”although the most normal thing is not to move the entire company, but rather to open a second headquarters. It is a way to avoid possible sanctions and restrictions derived from the deterioration of relations between China and the US, ensuring access to financing and global markets.
Image | Manus / Mariia Shalabaieva in Unsplash
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