Hungary’s Former FM Péter Szijjártó, Who Championed China Ties, Joins Auto Giant BYD

Former Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has announced his resignation from the Hungarian parliament to take on a global corporate role at the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD .

On July 15, Szijjártó shared his decision on Facebook, stating that he is stepping down from his legislative seat to transition into the private sector.

A veteran diplomat who served as foreign minister across three of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's administrations, he was one of the key architects of Hungary’s policy of economic rapprochement with China and Russia.

In this role, he actively promoted Chinese investment in Hungary—particularly major initiatives like the BYD electric vehicle projects—while simultaneously supporting and maintaining close energy ties with Moscow. Following this, he remained in parliament as a member of his party.

"The reason for this is that I received an extremely honorable offer to hold an international position in one of the leading companies of the world economy. BYD is one of the greatest success stories in the automotive industry over the past twenty years and, at the same time, a global leader in the production of new energy vehicles," Szijjártó wrote.

In his new role, Szijjártó will serve as the executive responsible for external relations and the development of new business directions for the corporate group. The Hungarian branch of BYD confirmed to the MTI news agency that Szijjártó’s position is global and international in scope, and he will not be part of the company's local management team in Hungary.

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Throughout his ministerial career, Szijjártó was widely recognized as a key figure in Orbán's foreign policy, which maintained close ties with Moscow.

Upon departing his legislative role, Szijjártó addressed criticisms of his diplomatic record, stating that he "never served the interests of Russia."

Throughout his tenure, the former minister consistently opposed the provision of military aid to Ukraine. Under his leadership, Hungary blocked European Union financial and military assistance packages intended to support Ukraine's defense following Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had pushed back on Péter Szijjártó after the latter dismissed the idea that Ukraine is defending Europe from Russian aggression.

In response, Sybiha issued a sharply worded post on X, invoking both Hungary’s own history and the role of ethnic Hungarians serving in Ukraine’s forces.

“I wonder what ethnic Hungarians who are defending Ukraine make of this shameless claim,” he wrote.

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