====== DW Budapest University story ======

YouTube: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVdqJM86NC8 | Anger grows in Hungary over China's university plans in Budapest - DW News]]

===== Transcript =====

A new partnership between Beijing and Budapest has angered Hungarian taxpayers who will have to carry nearly one billion euro financial burden.  China is building a European campus of European campus of its Shanghai based Fudan University.

Not only are Hungarians to pick up the tab but no local contractors will get to work on the project. Most Hungarians opposed the plan and anger is growing against Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Thousands have taken to the streets of the capital to protest their government's cooperation with an authoritarian Beijing. The area behind this fence in Budapest was supposed to become the home to more than 10,000 students the plan to build affordable dorms especially for people from Hungary's rural areas. The ground has been broken for various projects including a new athletic stadium but the government is also allowing China to build the very first European campus of the Shanghai based Fudan University on the site, according to government documents obtained by the Hungarian investigative media outlet [[direct 36]]

The Chinese campus will be financed by a €1.3 billion loan paid for by Hungarian taxpayers. The journalist behind the report sees other worrying implications for the projects Szabolcs Panyi says Hungary's intensifying ties with China create a friendly environment for Chinese intelligence.

	"There's an increasing number of Chinese students flowing in to the country and China is known for using its citizens forcing them to feed information to Chinese intelligence. So the larger the Chinese footprint is in Hungary, the larger the risk of espionage. During various visits with his Chinese counterparts over the past decade, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been openly pursuing an eastern opening strategy in the hopes of attracting Chinese investment.  At the beginning of the COVID pandemic Orban personally inspected tons of protective equipment that had arrived at the Budapest airport from China. Hungary is also the only country in the EU that inoculated citizens with the Chinese COVID vaccine and it recently vetoed an EU joint statement expressing concern over China's tightening control over Hong Kong. So who really benefits from this relationship? hungry I think has retold the most in favor of China so China is the number one beneficiary of Hungary's disruptive power inside EU but we don't actually see Chinese foreign direct investment flowing in pouring into the country. The campus, for example, will be built using Chinese labor and building materials shipped in from China. 
	
And not everyone in Hungary is a fan of the eastern opening strategy. Budapest's mayor ga karachun is a key opponent of Orban. He has been showing his opposition to what he calls Chinese influence,  buying in his own special way. Four streets near the planned Chinese construction site have recently been renamed. Students at the new campus may have to take "Dalai Lama Road" or "Free Hong Kong" road to get to class. Well for more on this, let's go straight to our correspondent Fanni Forchar in Budapest.  

	"Hi Fanni. Now protesters against this project have been out voicing their anger. We can hear them there behind it and roughly 2/3 of Hungarians oppose it. Now what are their main concerns. The main concern is the financial burden.  It's estimated that this entire project is going to cost about €1.7 billion paid by the Hungarian taxpayer.  Right now currently actually the mayor of Budapest is speaking. He actually wants to run against Prime Minister Orban in national elections next year and he says there's so many different things that could be done with this money. People have gathered here. Some who are actually supporting were disappointed because actually this project or the money that's needed for affordable housing is now going to be used for this Chinese project. But people are also making clear they're not against Chinese people in Hungary but they are questioning the financial scope of this entire project that is putting a burden on Hungarian taxpayers and let's not forget Hungary is one of the most corrupt countries in the European Union.  This concern that through this project the government and people that are close to the upper elite of Hungary is just use this as an opportunity to stash away money."
	
	"Right so the Hungarian government is coming in defense of the plans." 
	
	"no Chinese university campus but who really benefits from this relationship with China but the Hungarian government says that Hungarians are also going to benefit from this project because actually for the university is one of the most prestigious universities increase education competition here in Hungary are setting up the very first European compass or fudan university here in Hungary so they say hunger is actually in Hungarians is going through hundreds are going to benefit from it but if you zoom in on the project as I say it's important going to be financed by the Hungarian taxpayer and it's going to be built by a Chinese people coming up from China and by Chinese material so there you clearly ask yourself then who is going to benefit this project is it really Hungary or is it rather China and Chinese intelligence that through the help of Hungary is going to set a foot into Europe. 	

	"Fanni Fischer in Budapest, thank you"