China blocks Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI firm Manus

Bloomberg: The decision is likely to send a chill through China’s burgeoning AI sector, and emerged mere weeks before a high-profile summit between US President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping. Beijing has tightened scrutiny of key industry firms in the wake of the deal, which has been largely completed. Initially hailed as a template for startups with global aspirations, critics have since lamented the loss of valuable technology to a geopolitical rival…