Meta is preparing to unwind its $2 billion acquisition of agentic AI startup Manus after China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) ordered the cancellation of the deal. Beijing has given both Meta and Manus a preliminary deadline of several weeks to reverse the transaction and restore Manus's Chinese assets to their original state. The NDRC has issued a formal prohibition on the deal and specified a specific restoration of Manus’s Chinese assets. This suggests that some portion of the Manus entity, assets, or operational infrastructure, legally in China, must be disentangled from Meta's ownership before the deadline expires. The decision to block such transactions could set a precedent for future cases of Chinese-founded AI companies seeking to exit to a US acquirer could be challenged in international arbitration.