Hungary's former foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has resigned his parliamentary seat to accept an executive position with the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD. Szijjártó announced the move on social media Wednesday, stating he had received a "highly prestigious offer" from the automaker to fill an international role focused on external relations and business development.
Szijjártó, who served as Hungary's top diplomat for almost 12 years under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, lost his ministerial position following Orbán's party's election defeat in April. He had been a member of parliament since 2002.
BYD, described by Szijjártó as one of the automotive industry's biggest success stories of the past two decades, is constructing its first European factory in Hungary. This facility will enable the company to bypass potential EU import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles aimed at protecting the European auto sector. As foreign affairs and trade minister, Szijjártó was instrumental in securing the deal, which he characterized as one of the largest investments in Hungarian economic history, with government financial incentives attached.
During his tenure, Szijjártó and Orbán consistently opposed EU tariffs on Chinese goods and actively pursued significant investment from Beijing, leading to the establishment of several Chinese EV battery manufacturing plants in Hungary. The Orbán government also collaborated with Beijing on a rail corridor project connecting Hungary and Serbia as part of China's "Belt and Road" initiative.
Prior to his departure from government, Szijjártó maintained close ties with Russia. Despite the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he frequently traveled to Moscow to negotiate energy purchases and meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Szijjártó the Russian Order of Friendship. He faced controversy during the 2026 election campaign when a report alleged he shared information from EU meetings with Lavrov, though Szijjártó acknowledged conferring with Lavrov about meeting agendas and decisions.