China Bars Manus AI Co-Founders From Leaving the Country

China has restricted Manus AI co-founders Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao from leaving the country, signaling that Beijing considers the viral AI agent startup a strategic national asset. Manus gained international attention after its AI agent demonstration went viral in early 2026, drawing comparisons to Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's assistants. The travel restrictions suggest Chinese authorities view the company's technology as sensitive enough to warrant state-level retention measures, following a pattern of tightening controls over AI talent and intellectual property.