I visited Hungary in 2007, shortly after it joined the EU. Budapest was a fantastic place with solid and dignified buildings. Hungary is one of the countries that are in the EU but has not introduced the Euro currency. The Orbán government seems to have been flattering China under the banner of anti-EU, with the support of workers outside the booming auto industry.
The current government has so far been successful in controlling the media and deceiving the public, but wages are still a third of the EU average and criticism of the government is only growing. And then, realising that investment from China would be a burden in the future, the people opposed the building of the university and will hold a referendum.
¶Thousands of people marched through Budapest to protest against plans to open a Chinese university campus in the Hungarian capital. ¶Opponents of the project say it will undercut the country’s own higher education and increase the influence of China’s Communist authorities. ¶The right-wing government of PM Viktor Orban has close ties with Beijing. ¶Earlier this month, Hungary blocked an EU statement criticising China’s treatment of Hong Kong. […] Full text is here. Referenced from BBC News, 6 June, 2021