--- title: "Mark Zuckerberg Just Got Shot Down by China, Again" description: "Despite his best efforts, Mark Zuckerberg has failed to convince Chinese authorities to accept his business." date: "2026-04-30" modified: "2026-04-30" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/mark-zuckerberg-shot-down-by-china" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Finance" - "Future Society" - "Meta" --- # Mark Zuckerberg Just Got Shot Down by China, Again ![Mark Zuckerberg wearing a blue suit jacket, white dress shirt, and red tie, with curly hair, standing indoors with blurred people and artwork in the background.]() *Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images* It seems like only yesterday that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was [learning Mandarin]() while [pushing staffers]() to read Xi Jinping's tome "The Governance of China" — all in a [failed bid to get Facebook inside]() the country's Great Firewall, of course. Yet for all the love the Meta CEO has given the People's Republic, China just doesn't seem to love him back. PRC regulators have held firm in denying Facebook access to Chinese consumers despite [Zuckerberg's best efforts](), and President Xi even once [declined to name]() the Meta CEO's newborn baby. Zuckerberg's latest rebuff came at a cost: $2 billion to be exact. Earlier this week, regulatory authorities in Beijing moved to block Meta's acquisition of the Chinese-linked AI startup Manus, [*CNBC* reported](). Manus is a Singapore-registered company with roots in the Chinese mainland, focusing on AI agents capable of complex, multi-step task execution. Meta had previously signed a $2 billion takeover plan with the AI firm in December, which the Chinese government is now asking both parties to withdraw. According to *CNBC*, the Chinese government's intervention is broadly seen as a message that "Singapore-washing" — where Chinese companies relocate to Singapore to avoid scrutiny from both US and Chinese financial regulators — will not be tolerated, no matter who's doing the scrubbing. It could be a messy fix, as the Manus team "is now deeply integrated into Meta, running, improving and growing the Manus service and will continue to make it available to the millions of people who enjoy it," a Meta spokesperson [told *CNBC*](). Regardless, it's clear that despite years of glad handing from the billionaire, Beijing isn't interested in giving Zuckerberg any kind of special treatment — and for someone with Zuckerberg's outrageous wealth and power, that's gotta sting. **More on China:** *[Chinese AI Companies Are Using an Absurd Loophole to Get Around US Chip Restrictions]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()