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China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

cnbc.com

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Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#311

Post by krainboltgreene »

bluegatty wrote: post #303
NoGravitas wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were National Security ghouls pushing a TikTok ban as far back as 2020 because of the "China bad" angle, but it didn't really become a widespread and bipartisan concern until after the latest round of massacres amped up in Gaza and USAians started seeing atrocities on TikTok.

China is bad. It's a hyper authoritarian state using information collected from accounts for nefarious purposes, including informing their influence campaigns, targeting and they were censoring for specific issues. It's unthinkable that any free nation would allow a fairly oppressive and powerful entity to have that kind of power. China had (has) it's own police force in Canada, monitoring ex-pats and students, and v…

> It's a hyper authoritarian state using information collected from accounts for nefarious purposes, including informing their influence campaigns, targeting and they were censoring for specific issues.

As an american, I'm already used to that from my own government.

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#312

Post by guywithahat »

skippyboxedhero wrote: post #165
glerk wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because the US also does this doesn’t make it right for China to do it and vice versa. Team coca-cola and team pepsi are both evil and illegitimate.

Every country does it. Doing it is a central function of having a government. The number of, presumably, left-wing people who advocate for the most extreme forms of libertarianism is truly incredible.

The horseshoe theory of politics continues to be true, just in new and exciting ways

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#314

Post by likeclockwork »

nutjob2 wrote: post #256
yakbarber wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that's true in every country.

Not at all. In non totalitarian/authoritarian countries you're fine if you stay on the right side of the law, instead of the whims of the regime.

Who writes the laws?

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#315

Post by NoGravitas »

bluegatty wrote: post #303
NoGravitas wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were National Security ghouls pushing a TikTok ban as far back as 2020 because of the "China bad" angle, but it didn't really become a widespread and bipartisan concern until after the latest round of massacres amped up in Gaza and USAians started seeing atrocities on TikTok.

China is bad. It's a hyper authoritarian state using information collected from accounts for nefarious purposes, including informing their influence campaigns, targeting and they were censoring for specific issues. It's unthinkable that any free nation would allow a fairly oppressive and powerful entity to have that kind of power. China had (has) it's own police force in Canada, monitoring ex-pats and students, and v…

As I said, National Security ghouls.

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#316

Post by culi »

nsagent wrote: post #301
culi wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Breaking the export rules. Tech workers should be used to the idea of a "Invention Assignment Agreement". Manus was built in China and all of its development happened there. In order to skirt Chinese review of the deal they tried to close down shop there and move to Singapore. I don't think China is being unreasonable. I'm sure the US would act exactly the same way if an American tech company raised money from China…

There is no equivalent exit ban in the US that can be instituted on a whim for regulatory or business disputes. If you want to know more, you can read up on it in this Stanford Journal of International Law publication: "Legal Strategy for Commercial Hostage-taking and Business Exit Bans" https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJIL_60-...

Do you read the news? Whether or not to stop Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel was being discussed everywhere. On what basis was that power?

> Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel can be stopped by the US President based on a recommendation from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), citing risks to national security under Section 721 of the Defense Production Act.

National security risks. Exactly what China is citing. It's literally the exact same situation.

EDIT: In fact, the US regularly stops acquisition of US companies by China https://hvmilner.scholar.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf2...

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#317

Post by culi »

giwook wrote: post #302
nsagent wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no equivalent exit ban in the US that can be instituted on a whim for regulatory or business disputes. If you want to know more, you can read up on it in this Stanford Journal of International Law publication: "Legal Strategy for Commercial Hostage-taking and Business Exit Bans" https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJIL_60-...

I love that there is an actual 48-page research paper on the exact comment that you were responding to and completely refutes their assertion. What a mic drop.

[dead]

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#318

Post by culi »

culi wrote: post #249
giwook wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And what exactly are these founders being investigated for?

Breaking the export rules. Tech workers should be used to the idea of a "Invention Assignment Agreement". Manus was built in China and all of its development happened there. In order to skirt Chinese review of the deal they tried to close down shop there and move to Singapore. I don't think China is being unreasonable. I'm sure the US would act exactly the same way if an American tech company raised money from China…

> Two days ago, President Trump issued an order blocking the $1.3 billion sale of a Portland, Ore.-based company called Lattice Semiconductor to private equity firm Canyon Bridge Capital Partners. The stated rationale for Trump’s order was national security.

https://hvmilner.scholar.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf2...

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#319

Post by culi »

nsoonhui wrote: post #223

I don't think this has much to do with export control-- note that Manus, as impressive as it is, is still a wrapper around fundamental western models--, rather it has more to do with capital controls. China has been trying to stop large scale outflow of businesses and individuals for quite some time, due to local politics concern. What Manus was doing, achieving successes first in China then setup a nominal shell com…

China is citing national security as AI is becoming a key industry. It's no different from all the times the US intervened to stop China from buying out US companies. E.g.

https://hvmilner.scholar.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf2...

> President Trump issued an order blocking the $1.3 billion sale of a Portland, Ore.-based company called Lattice Semiconductor to private equity firm Canyon Bridge Capital Partners. The stated rationale for Trump’s order was national security.

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