Tech circles from Silicon Valley to Shenzhen buzzed when Meta acquired Manus for $2 billion late last year. The deal was seen as a validation that an intricate offshore structure, known as "Singapore washing," was the answer to circumvent scrutiny from both Beijing and Washington. But China's surprise intervention on the deal quickly shattered that hope. "The path taken by Manus: people will not go down that route anymore," said a Silicon Valley-based seed investor in AI. CHONGQING, CHINA – JANUARY 07: In this photo illustration, the Manus logo is displayed on a smartphone screen, with the Chinese national flag visible…