Thousands Of Hungarians Protest Planned Chinese University Campus

Thousands of Hungarians have protested against a proposed Chinese university campus in Budapest.

The protesters marched through the capital to the national parliament, carrying signs which read ‘Treason’ and ‘Hungarian university from Hungarian money’.

Critics of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban accuse him of cosying up to China.

They are worried the campus could undercut the quality of higher education and help Beijing increase its influence in Hungary and the European Union.

Hungary’s government signed an agreement with Fudan University in April.

The Shanghai-based institution plans to build the campus at a site in Budapest.

The government says Fudan is a world-class institution and the campus would “allow students to learn from the best.”

But opposition politicians and economists have criticized what they say will be the high costs of the project. They also point to a lack of transparency.

The liberal opposition mayor of Budapest has renamed streets around the proposed campus after the victims of China’s alleged human rights violations.

This week, Beijing said “a few Hungarian politicians” were trying to grab attention and obstruct cooperation between China and Hungary.