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 nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban fear the planned $2 billion campus could undercut the quality of higher education and help Beijing increase its influence in Hungary and the European Union.
A senior Orban aide said the university was not even at the planning phase, and once the plan took shape, in early 2023, it could be put to a referendum.
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