
Manus AI lays off China staff, scrubs social media, shelves mainland service
artificial intelligence (AI) agent
Manus laid off most of its staff in
Beijing last week, according to local media reports, amid a reorganisation in line with relocating its headquarters to
Singapore
Advertisement
Logging in returns this message: 'Manus is not available in your region.' That marked a change from the earlier message that said its 'Chinese version is under development'.
'To improve operational efficiency, we've decided to restructure some business teams,' a statement from the
start-up said in response to the lay-offs. 'The company will continue focusing on its core product and enhancing overall performance.'
Manus did not explain its rationale for pulling out of China. In an earlier statement to the Post, Manus said the move to Singapore was not about gaining access to
Nvidia 's advanced chips because it was not developing AI models.
Advertisement
Manus did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


AllAfrica
an hour ago
- AllAfrica
Xi: Ready to push China-Australia relationship further
President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in their meeting in Beijing on Tuesday that China stands ready to work with Australia 'to push the bilateral relationship further.' During the meeting, Albanese raised Australia's concern about China's lack of proper notice about its warships' live fire exercise early this year. The prime minister later told journalists Xi had responded that 'China engaged in exercises, just as Australia engages in exercises.' The government's proposed sale of the lease of the Port of Darwin, now in the hands of a Chinese company, was not raised in the discussion. On Taiwan, Albanese said he had 'reaffirmed … the position of Australia in support for the status quo.' This was the fourth meeting between Xi and Albanese. The prime minister is on a six-day trip to China, accompanied by a business delegation. He is emphasising expanding trade opportunities with our biggest trading partner and attracting more Chinese tourists, whose numbers are not back to pre-pandemic levels. Albanese has come under some domestic criticism because this trip comes before he has been able to secure a meeting with United States President Donald Trump. In his opening remarks, while the media were present, Xi said the China-Australia relationship had risen 'from the setback and turned around, bringing tangible benefits to the Chinese and Australian peoples.' 'The most important thing we can learn from this is that a commitment to equal treatment, to seeking common ground while sharing differences, pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation, serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and two peoples. 'No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly,' he said. 'The Chinese side is ready to work with the Australian side to push the bilateral relationship further and make greater progress so as to bring better benefits to our two peoples.' Responding, Albanese noted Xi's comments 'about seeking common ground while sharing differences. That approach has indeed produced very positive benefits for both Australia and for China. 'The Australian government welcomes progress on cooperation under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which has its 10th anniversary year. As a direct result, trade is now flowing freely to the benefit of both countries and to people and businesses on both sides, and Australia will remain a strong supporter of free and fair trade.' Albanese told the media after the meeting his government's approach to the relationship was 'patient, calibrated and deliberate.' Given that one out of four Australian jobs depends on trade and given that China is overwhelmingly by far the largest trading partner that Australia has, it is very much in the interest of Australian jobs, and the Australian economy, to have a positive and constructive relationship with China. Dialogue is how we advance our interests, how we manage our differences, and we guard against misunderstanding. President Xi Jinping and I agreed dialogue must be at the centre of our relationship. We also discussed our economic relationship, which is critical to Australia. We spoke about the potential for new engagement in areas such as decarbonization. Xi did not bring up China's complaints about Australia's foreign investment regime. Albanese said he raised the issue of Australian writer Yang Jun, who is incarcerated on allegations of espionage, which are denied. Premier Li Qiang was hosting a banquet for Albanese on Tuesday night. An editorial in the state-owned China Daily praised the Albanese visit, saying it showed 'the Australian side has a clearer judgement and understanding of China than it had under previous Scott Morrison government.' 'The current momentum in the development of bilateral relations between China and Australia shows that if differences are well managed, the steady development of ties can be guaranteed , even at a time when the political landscape of the world is becoming increasingly uncertain and volatile,' the editorial said. Australian journalists had a brush with Chinese security, when they were taking shots of local sights in Beijing. Security guards surrounded them and told them to hand over their footage. The incident was resolved by Australian officials. Michelle Grattan is a professorial fellow, University of Canberra. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
In Latin America poll, China grows in appeal though US remains preferred economic ally
Public attitudes toward China in parts of Latin America have become more positive compared to recent years, even though many in the region continue to view the United States as a more important economic partner, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Centre. The survey, conducted from January 8 to April 26, involved face-to-face interviews with 3,833 adults aged 18 and older in Mexico (1,243 respondents), Brazil (1,298) and Argentina (1,292). It is part of a broader study that covers 25 countries and examines views on China's influence, leadership and global role, as well as attitudes toward the US. Thus, the field research in all three countries was begun before US President Donald Trump returned to power on January 20, but ran past his announcement of far-reaching global 'reciprocal' tariffs on April 2. Favourable views of China have increased slightly in the region since 2024. In Mexico, the share of respondents with a positive opinion of China rose to 67 per cent, from 61 per cent last year. In Brazil, it rose to 66 per cent, from 63 per cent. In Argentina, the change was more pronounced, rising to 56 per cent, from 49 per cent. That regional rise in favourability sets Latin America apart from many wealthier nations, where views of China remain overwhelmingly negative. Across the 25-country survey, the global median share expressing a positive view of China is just 36 per cent. In high-income democracies, sentiment is particularly low – only 13 per cent of adults in Japan, 30 per cent in France and 32 per cent in Britain view China favourably.


South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Double-edged sword: US probe into China's drone dominance is a risk, analysts say
The United States has launched investigations into imports of drones and polysilicon – two sectors where China holds a global lead – in a move that could pave the way for tariffs and give Washington leverage in trade negotiations between the world's two largest economies, analysts said. The US Bureau of Industry and Security released a document on Monday, seeking public comments as it moves forward with the investigation, which began on July 1 under 'Section 232' of the Trade Expansion Act. 'Interested parties are invited to submit written comments, data, analyses or other information pertinent to the investigation,' the notice's authors said. While the investigation does not explicitly name China, it will examine American reliance on imported unmanned aircraft systems – including drones used for commercial, industrial and military purposes – as well as polysilicon , a critical material used in solar panels and semiconductors. Beijing holds a dominant position in both sectors. Section 232 grants the US president the power to impose duties if a Department of Commerce investigation finds that certain imports threaten national security. Trump has used the law to levy tariffs on steel, aluminium and cars, and the 50 per cent copper tariff he threatened last week also came from a Section 232 probe. Alfredo Montufar-Helu, a senior China-based adviser to C-suites, said he 'wouldn't be surprised' if Washington's investigation was used to gain leverage for future trade negotiations with China. But he also cautioned that the move was a double-edged sword.