Xi tests China's reach by blocking already-done Meta deal

Xi tests China's reach by blocking already-done Meta deal The Manus decision comes just weeks before China's Xi Jinping and the U.S. president are scheduled to meet at a high-profile summit. Meta cut the deal for Manus as part of its effort to catch up with rivals such as Alphabet's Google, OpenAI and Anthropic. China has sought for years to exert influence over business deals beyond its home turf. Still, its decision to press Meta Platforms to unwind a $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus marks a step unlike anything it's tried before. The country's powerful state planner decreed Monday that the deal must be canceled -- four months after it was sealed.