China has blocked Meta’s $2bn (£1.5bn) acquisition of an AI startup as it cracks down on US investments in domestic tech companies. Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta , the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, announced the acquisition of Manus, a developer of autonomous AI agents, in December. However, the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Monday it had cancelled the takeover. In a statement, China’s top economic planning body said that it will “prohibit the foreign investment in the acquisition of the Manus project” and “requires the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction”. Bloomberg reported last week that Chinese regulators are planning to block tech firms, including leading AI startups , from accepting US investment without government approval. Several private firms have reportedly been warned in recent weeks that they should reject US funding unless it receives explicit approval from Beijing, in a policy move triggered by the Manus deal.…