Meta’s acquisition of Manus: Aftershocks as the National Development and Reform Commission urges Moon of the Dark Side, Step Star, and others to reject U.S. capital; ByteDance is also subject to restrictions

According to Beating Monitoring, Bloomberg, citing informed sources, reported that in recent weeks Chinese regulatory authorities, including the National Development and Reform Commission, have asked multiple AI companies to refuse capital originating from the United States in fundraising unless they have obtained explicit approval from the government. The Black Moon and Step 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 without approval through means such as transferring old shares.

This step is part of a continued escalation of regulatory responses following Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of the China-based AI agent startup Manus. Previously, China had imposed outbound restrictions on Manus co-founders Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao and was reviewing whether the transaction violated technology export controls and foreign investment regulations.