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Orbán-era foreign minister quits Hungary's parliament for job with Chinese automaker BYD
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s former foreign minister, resigned from parliament to join Chinese electric carmaker BYD as an executive responsible for external relations and business development.
- During his nearly 12 years in office, Szijjártó helped secure major Hungarian government subsidies for BYD, including support for the company’s first European factory in Hungary and its headquarters and R&D center in Budapest.
- His move to BYD has sparked criticism from Péter Magyar, Hungary’s new prime minister, who accused Szijjártó of representing foreign interests and lobbying for massive state subsidies benefiting the Chinese automaker.
- Szijjártó was also controversial for maintaining close ties with Russia during its invasion of Ukraine, frequently traveling to Moscow and receiving the Russian Order of Friendship from President Vladimir Putin in 2021.
- Reports surfaced that Szijjártó shared details of EU meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, though he acknowledged conferring with Lavrov before and after EU foreign minister meetings.
