BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s government plans to host a Chinese university campus in its capital Budapest. But critics of the plan say the massive investment places an undue financial burden on Hungarian taxpayers and is indicative of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s increasing ties to autocracies in Moscow and Beijing. The $1.8 billion investment will be paid by Hungary with the help of a loan from a Chinese bank. Budapest’s mayor says the project brings up national security concerns, since the university has pledged its loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. The mayor of the Budapest district where the planned site is located says she will hold a local referendum to block construction of the campus.
