夾在兩大強權間的 AI 新星：Manus 創辦人遭中國限制出境
當「中國創業家」與「矽谷資本」的完美結合成了一場跨國監管的噩夢，全球 AI 新創圈還能有真正的無國界發展嗎？黨不准你賣，你跑出去也不能賣啊。
曾被視為中國 AI 新創出海成功典範的 Manus（專注於自主 AI 代理），其共同創辦人暨執行長肖弘與首席科學家紀一超，近期在返回中國探親後，遭北京發改委約談並下達「限制出境」的命令。兩人目前雖然並未遭到正式逮捕或指控，且能自由在中國境內活動，但已無法離開。這起事件徹底凸顯了在中美科技戰下，中國創辦人為了避開美國投資禁令而採取的「新加坡洗白」（Singapore washing）策略，正面臨來自北京的強力反撲。
Once considered a successful example of a Chinese AI startup expanding overseas, Manus—a company specializing in autonomous AI agents—has seen its co-founder and CEO Xiao Hong, along with Chief Scientist Ji Yichao, summoned by Beijing’s NDRC and placed under an exit ban after returning to China to visit family. While they have not been formally arrested or charged and can travel freely within the country, they are not allowed to leave. This incident starkly highlights how the “Singapore washing” strategy adopted by Chinese founders to bypass US investment bans is now facing severe backlash from Beijing amidst the US-China tech war.
現年 32 歲的肖弘與團隊最初在中國打造了極為成功的 AI Agent，上線 8 個月便創造了 1 億美元的驚人營收。為了突破美國資金投資中國 AI 產業的禁令並推向全球市場，Manus 採取了標準的出海作業：將總部與核心團隊遷至新加坡，關閉北京辦公室並裁撤員工，甚至將產品從中國市場下架。這番操作讓他們成功獲得美國創投 Benchmark 的 7,500 萬美元投資，並在去年底以 20 億美元的天價被 Meta 全資收購。
At 32, Xiao Hong and his team initially built a highly successful AI Agent in China, generating an astonishing $100 million in revenue within eight months of launch. To overcome the US ban on investing in the Chinese AI industry and expand into the global market, Manus took the standard “going global” route: relocating its headquarters and core team to Singapore, shutting down its Beijing office, laying off employees, and even pulling its product from the Chinese market. This maneuver successfully secured a $75 million investment from US venture capital firm Benchmark and led to a staggering $2 billion full acquisition by Meta late last year.
然而，中國監管單位的立場十分明確：儘管公司在新加坡註冊，但創辦人、程式碼與智慧財產權皆源自中國，換個地址並不代表能輕易脫離中國管轄。目前官方的審查重點包含股權轉換後是否依規定完成境內申報，以及核心 AI 技術是否違反出口管制。北京當局高度擔憂這類「賣青苗」的行為，也就是將具備戰略價值的科技資產出售給外資，恐引發其他企業為了規避本土監管而將總部外移的模仿效應。
However, Chinese regulators have made their stance clear: even though the company is registered in Singapore, the founders, source code, and intellectual property originated in China, and a simple change of address does not mean they can easily escape Chinese jurisdiction. The official investigation currently focuses on whether domestic filings were properly completed after the equity transfer, and whether the core AI technology violates export controls. Authorities in Beijing are highly concerned about this “selling green shoots” behavior—selling strategic tech assets to foreign capital—which might trigger a copycat effect among other enterprises moving their headquarters abroad to evade domestic oversight.
據《金融時報》等媒體報導，肖弘等高層在返回中國探親時被發改委約談。目前他們雖然沒有面臨正式起訴或逮捕，可在國內自由移動，但卻被無限期限制出境。即使產品已在全球 50 多個國家上線服務，創辦人本身卻受困於兩大超級強權的夾縫中。
According to reports from the Financial Times and other media, executives including Xiao Hong were summoned by the NDRC upon returning to China to visit family. Although they are not currently facing formal charges or arrest and can move freely within the country, they have been placed under an indefinite exit ban. Even as their product operates in over 50 countries globally, the founder himself is trapped in the crevice between two superpowers.
這起事件生動地刻畫了當代中國科技創業家的困境：美國的法規逼迫他們在紙面上離開中國，而中國的監管則告訴他們其實從未離開。最壞的狀況可能是中國官方要求撤銷這筆交易，但考慮到 Meta 已經開始將 Manus 的 AI 技術整合至旗下平台，若強制逆轉這筆 20 億美元的收購案，後續的剝離程序將會極度複雜。未來在 AI 技術這類被視為國家戰略核心的領域中，中美兩國對於新創的夾擊與審查只會越來越嚴苛，徹底粉碎了科技無國界的理想，也回答了我們開頭的提問：在兩大強權的夾縫中，真正的無國界發展已不復存在。
This incident vividly illustrates the dilemma of contemporary Chinese tech entrepreneurs: US regulations force them to leave China on paper, while Chinese regulators tell them they have never actually left. The worst-case scenario could see Chinese authorities demanding the reversal of the deal, but considering Meta has already begun integrating Manus’s AI technology into its platforms, forcefully unwinding this $2 billion acquisition would be extremely complicated. Moving forward, in areas like AI that are deemed core national strategies, the squeeze and scrutiny from both the US and China on startups will only become more stringent. This completely shatters the ideal of borderless technology and answers our initial question: in the tight space between two superpowers, true borderless development no longer exists.
資料來源：
https://x.com/TheGeorgePu/status/2036830562703331436
https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=199202