Hungary Appears to Back-Pedal on Chinese University Plans After Protests

Hungary Appears to Back-Pedal on Chinese University Plans After Protests
Demonstrators protest against the planned Chinese Fudan University campus in Budapest, Hungary, on June 5, 2021. Bernadett Szabo/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

BUDAPEST—Hungary appeared to backtrack on plans to build a Chinese university in the capital Budapest after thousands took to the streets at the weekend accusing the government of cosying up to Beijing, provoking an angry Chinese response.

Opponents of Prime Minister Viktor Orban fear the planned private, $2 billion campus could undercut the quality of higher education and help Beijing increase its influence in Hungary and the European Union.