Péter Szijjártó, Hungary's long-serving foreign minister, has resigned his parliamentary seat to join Chinese automaker BYD in a senior international role. The 48-year-old will lead the group's external relations and new business development at the world's largest producer of new-energy vehicles.
Szijjártó, a Fidesz lawmaker since 2002, led Hungarian diplomacy for nearly twelve years until Viktor Orbán's party suffered a crushing defeat in the April 2026 elections, which brought Péter Magyar's Tisza party to power. His tenure drew scrutiny over claims he offered an EU document on Ukraine to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in a 2024 phone call and pledged to remove a Russian oligarch's sister from EU sanctions.
The move deepens ties between Szijjártó and BYD, which received over €400 million in support from the Orbán government and began building its first European factory in Szeged in 2024. Budapest was also set to grant BYD €55 million in subsidies for a new centre.