2 min readApr 24, 2026 05:45 PM IST China plans to restrict top technology firms, including leading AI startups, from accepting US capital without government approval, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Chinese regulators, including the National Development and Reform Commission, have recently instructed several private technology firms to reject US investment in funding rounds unless ⁠explicitly ​approved,, the report said. AI startups Moonshot AI and StepFun were among the companies that received the guidance, the report said, adding that TikTok owner ByteDance has also been told ​it ​should not allow secondary share sales to ⁠US investors without clearance.The measures are aimed at preventing US investors from gaining stakes in ‌sensitive technologies linked to China’s national security, Bloomberg reported. NDRC, the Chinese Embassy in Washington, StepFun, ByteDance, Meta and Moonshot AI did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The US Department of the Treasury and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau also did not respond immediately. The ⁠heightened scrutiny follows ⁠Meta’s more than $2 billion acquisition of AI startup …