China's Ministry of Commerce (MoC) is officially looking into Meta's deal to buy the AI platform Manus, a so-called "general-purpose AI agent" capable of autonomously handling complex digital tasks just like a human.

Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong made it clear on Thursday that Chinese companies going global must play by the rules at home.

While the government says it supports international tech cooperation, he emphasized that any overseas investment, especially involving tech exports and data transfers, must adhere to Chinese law. MoC officials are now investigating whether this specific deal complies with China's export controls and investment regulations.