Image source,EPA
Demonstrations broke out in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, on Saturday (June 5). People protested against China’s Fudan University’s plan to establish a branch in the city.
Opponents believe that this move will weaken the country’s own higher education and increase the influence of the Chinese Communist regime.
The right-wing government led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has close ties with Beijing.
Earlier this month, Hungary prevented the European Union from issuing a statement criticizing China on Hong Kong.
On Saturday, demonstrators marched through the streets and headed to the Parliament Building.
Szonja Radics, a university student who participated in the demonstration, told AFP, “Orban and (his right-wing party) the Citizens League (Fidesz) portray themselves as anti-communists, but in fact the Communists are their friends. “
Image source,EPA
According to Reuters, another student demonstrator named Patrick said that any government funds planned for the Fudan University construction project should be used to “improve our own university.”
The construction of Fudan University’s Budapest campus is estimated to cost approximately US$1.8 billion, which is more than the cost of the Orban government for the entire higher education system in 2019.
Documents obtained by the Hungarian news investigative agency Direkt36 show that approximately US$1.5 billion of this came from a loan provided by a Chinese bank.
The Republikon Institute, a liberal think tank, said that about two-thirds of Hungarians do not support Chinese universities’ plans to build local campuses.
Image source,EPA
Before the mayor of Budapest delivered his speech, demonstrators gathered in front of the Hungarian parliament building to protest.
The mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karacsony, who belongs to a liberal party, also opposed the construction of the campus. He announced earlier this week that he would name the streets in the area after the victims of human rights violations in China.
The four new street signs include “Dalai Lama Street” (Dalai Lama Street) and “Free Hong Kong Road” (Free Hong Kong Road) commemorating the Hong Kong democratic movement.
The third street will be renamed “Uyghur Martyrs’ Road” (Uyghur Martyrs’ Road); the fourth road is “Bishop Xie Shiguang Road”, Xie Shiguang is an underground Catholic bishop in Fujian, not recognized by the Chinese government, even Been jailed many times.
China has always denied these allegations of human rights violations.
Fudan University is one of the most famous universities in China. The school’s Budapest campus is planned to be completed in 2024. It will be Fudan’s first campus in an EU country.
Hungary and China
Although the actions of the Budapest city government made Beijing unhappy, Hungary has always been one of the EU countries with the closest relationship with Beijing under the leadership of the Orban government.
Hungary is the first European Union country to sign the “Belt and Road” cooperation agreement with China. Last year, it borrowed US$1.855 billion from China to build the Hungary-Serbia railway between Budapest and the Serbian capital Belgrade.
After the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, the Orban government took the lead in purchasing China’s new crown vaccine. Orban also personally vaccinated the vaccine produced by China National Pharmaceutical Group.
Image source,Reuters
Orban won another big victory in the 2018 parliamentary elections.
Last month, the Hungarian government also prevented the EU foreign minister from issuing a statement condemning China for promoting Hong Kong’s electoral system reform, which prompted criticism from German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
Orban’s critics are increasingly disturbed by the current government’s close relations with countries such as Russia, China, and Belarus, as well as his restrictions on the independence of the media, courts, and higher education.
The 58-year-old Orban briefly served as Prime Minister of Hungary in 1998. He has regained power since 2010 and won another big victory in the 2018 congressional elections.
However, in the local government elections in 2019, the Hungarian Citizens Union (Fidesz), a ruling party that has dominated for many years, suffered a miserable defeat in the elections in the capital Budapest. The liberal candidate Kalasoni, jointly launched by the opposition parties, was successfully elected. It is considered that voters have expressed dissatisfaction and backlash against the Orban government.
Hungary will usher in a national election in 2022, and Karasonni is currently the front runner among the candidates challenging Orban.