China defends Hungary university plan following Budapest protest

Beijing dismisses criticism of controversial project, while Hungarian PM’s office hints at referendum on the issue.

China has defended its plan to build a university campus in Hungary after thousands of protesters in Budapest rallied over the weekend against the proposed opening. Beijing on Monday warned critics of the Budapest campus, which is linked to Shanghai’s Fudan University and could open by 2024, against politicising and stigmatising the relationship between the two countries. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the plan was “in line with the current trend of the times and the interests of all parties.