"Spending Taxpayer Money on Building Chinese Universities" Large-Scale Anti-China Protest in Hungary

On the 5th (local time), a protest against the establishment of a Fudan University campus in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, took place.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 5th (local time) in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, a large-scale protest against the establishment of a Chinese university was held. Citizens reportedly voiced opposition due to concerns about the increasing influence of China within their country.

According to AFP and other sources, thousands of Hungarian citizens took to the streets to protest the construction of a campus for China's Fudan University. Some participants carried signs reading "Treason" and "No Fudan" as they marched from downtown Budapest to the National Assembly building.

Earlier, the Hungarian government signed an agreement with Fudan University, a Chinese national university, in April to build a campus in Budapest. The campus is scheduled to be completed in 2024, with an expected student body of around 6,000 and a faculty of 500.

Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister who follows a pro-China policy, claims that this project will make Budapest an educational hub and enhance the competitiveness of Hungarian universities.

However, there is strong opposition within the country. Concerns include the high cost of building the campus and the potential increase in influence by Chinese authorities. One participant said, "The budget should be used to improve Hungarian universities, not to build a Chinese university."

The protest organizers also criticized on Facebook that the ruling party 'Fidesz' is "selling out student dormitories and the future to bring Chinese dictatorship into Hungary." This appears to point out that the site for the Chinese campus was originally planned for dormitories for Hungarian students.

However, the Hungarian government dismissed the protest as "political hysteria based on unfounded rumors and media reports."