Chinese AI startup Manus has registered its AI assistant for the domestic market and gained state media attention, signalling government support for its expansion.

The company, which recently gained global recognition, was featured on China's CCTV in a segment comparing its AI agent to the chatbot made by DeepSeek's chatbot.

Beijing's growing interest in homegrown AI firms follows the success of DeepSeek, which developed competitive AI models at a lower cost than its United States counterparts.

Manus has made headlines for developing an AI agent capable of making autonomous decisions with minimal prompting, a step beyond traditional chatbots like ChatGPT.

The firm recently announced a partnership with Alibaba's Qwen AI team, a move that could accelerate its rollout in China. Currently, the AI agent is available only through invite codes, with a waiting list of two million users.

Regulatory approval was also secured for Monica, Manus' AI assistant, allowing its launch in China. All generative AI applications in the country must comply with strict content regulations to align with Beijing's policies.

Manus' growing presence in China highlights the government's strategy of fostering domestic AI innovations while ensuring regulatory oversight.