China has tightened border crossing procedures following Meta’s acquisition attempt of AI startup Manus.

Beijing has bolstered entry and exit controls to prevent the leakage of data, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies, introducing new regulations slated to take effect on September 15. The measures aim to shore up economic security.

The regulatory tightening is widely believed to have been spurred by Facebook parent Meta’s attempted acquisition of Manus, a Chinese developer of agentic AI. By implementing stricter oversight on the movement of people and capital, Beijing aims to protect its critical technology and data assets.