Former Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has announced that he will resign his parliamentary seat and take up an international position at Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD.
Szijjártó revealed the decision in a Facebook post, saying he had submitted his resignation because he had received “an extremely honourable offer from one of the defining companies of the global economy” to take on an international role. He will continue his career as BYD’s executive responsible for external relations and the development of new business areas.
The move marks the end of Szijjártó’s more than two-decade parliamentary career. He first entered Hungary’s National Assembly in 2002, became Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s personal spokesman in 2010, served as state secretary for foreign affairs and foreign economic relations from 2012, and held the position of foreign minister between 2014 and 2026.
Although he secured a parliamentary mandate from the national party list in the 2026 election, he did not run in an individual constituency. Since the start of the new parliamentary term, Szijjártó had rarely attended sessions, becoming the second-most frequently absent MP after former construction and transport minister János Lázár, according to Telex.
A close supporter of Chinese investment in Hungary
Szijjártó’s new role at BYD is notable given his long-standing support for Chinese investment and cooperation while serving as foreign minister. He repeatedly argued that closer economic ties between Hungary and China represented an opportunity rather than a threat.
When the European Union considered introducing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, Szijjártó criticised the move, arguing that Europe should pursue cooperation with China instead of confrontation.
“Hungary is a good example of how civilised East-West cooperation can bring serious economic benefits,” he said at the time, adding that Europe’s competitiveness could not be improved by treating China solely as a rival.
BYD has become one of the largest Chinese investors in Hungary, with the company building an electric vehicle factory in Szeged. The investment has been presented by successive Hungarian governments as a major step in developing the country’s role in the global EV supply chain.
From foreign minister to corporate executive
Szijjártó’s departure comes after a turbulent period following the 2026 election, which saw the Orbán government lose power. During his final year as foreign minister, it was revealed that ministry records showed more than HUF 2 billion had been spent on his official air travel in 2025, including 19 occasions when private aircraft were chartered for his trips.
Shortly after the change of government, Szijjártó gave a three-hour interview to Telex, where he discussed Hungary’s relations with Russia, tensions with the European Union, the future of Fidesz, and the political legacy of the Orbán era.
He said he did not believe Fidesz could have a future without Viktor Orbán and that he would not consider it positive if Orbán stepped down as party leader. He also said he had never had ambitions to become prime minister or lead Fidesz.
If you missed it: Hungary reviews EUR 13 million spent on former FM Szijjártó’s private jet travel, criminal liability under examination
Orbán was informed about the decision
According to Fidesz press chief Bertalan Havasi, Viktor Orbán was aware of Szijjártó’s plans and personally discussed the resignation with him twice in recent weeks.
“The party chairman naturally knew about the decision and personally consulted Péter Szijjártó on two occasions in recent weeks,” Havasi told Telex.
He added that Fidesz would discuss the future of Szijjártó’s parliamentary seat at its upcoming leadership and faction meeting on 21 July. Havasi also said he looked back on their two decades of cooperation “with comradeship and friendship”, adding that he was certain Orbán shared the same view.
UPDATE: Szijjártó will not leave the country
Péter Szijjártó is not leaving the country, but he will be travelling more in his BYD role than he did as Foreign Minister, Telex reports. In his new role, Szijjártó will commute between various major cities in Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East, but he will not move out of the country. Telex understands that the BYD chairman signed Szijjártó’s contract on Wednesday.
UPDATE 2.0: Magyar reacts
“The complete disintegration of the former state party, Fidesz, continues at an ever-accelerating pace,” Péter Magyar wrote in a post responding to the resignation of Péter Szijjártó. According to Magyar, the former Fidesz minister had already been representing foreign interests and is now set to become the head of a Chinese company for which he had previously secured massive Hungarian state subsidies through lobbying.
UPDATE 3.0: Orbán reacts
“BYD has made the marquee signing of the summer. Go, Péter!” – Viktor Orbán reacted on Facebook to the news that Péter Szijjártó is resigning his parliamentary seat to take a job at BYD.
What a true “patriot”. He runs for election saying he will serve the people and then weeks later he withdraws his promise to serve and instead goes to work for a Chinese company. These people are pure opportunists. Someone who runs for office and then decides he won’t serve in opposition is not there to serve anyone except himself.
As the saying goes, the first rats are leaving the sinking ship!
A first politician has voluntarily left parliament. Many others from Fidesz will follow, perhaps not only because they see no future for themselves as temporary parliamentarians, but also for that reason. He will continue his career at BYD as head of external relations and the development of new business areas in Hungary.
One wonders, however, where, since he will hardly be able to engage in lobbying—which is all it is—under Tiszla in Hungary and Europe. Russia is already firmly in Chinese hands, so they don’t need anyone there anymore!
I like Szijjarto’s euphemism for getting a great payoff from BYD “they gave me a very honourable offer”. Former Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó was deeply involved in BYD contracts and investments in Hungary. As the minister of foreign affairs and trade, he played a central role in a multi-year negotiation process to bring BYD’s first European manufacturing plant to the city of Szeged. He’s another Gerhard Schroder.
What intense jealousy towards a person who has brought various major industries to Hungary in recent years. Hungary is now a major player in Europe in the automotive and battery sectors, providing employment and state revenue. But the stupid Tisza people do not want to see this.
Yeah. Environmentally devastating battery plants. He shoved one down the throats of the population in Debrecen. The factory is so toxic it had to close and the mayor is telling the Chinese to leave. Spare us the nonsense.
Intense jealousy? You’re having a laugh. Ex-Foreign Ministers normally end up in plum jobs at supranational organisations or as a minimum on the advisory board of a global investment bank if they don’t progress to leading their own party. An invented job at a Chinese car manufacturer suggests to me he had no other offers, which isn’t really a surprise with his tarnished reputation.
It speaks volumes as to the collapse of the Fidesz ecosystem that really it cannot offer him a job in Hungary that would allow him to save face. Or, they don’t want to; they know they need to operate purely on a commercial basis now and they need to retain credibility.
Truly fighting for the rights of Hungarians..
He spend his career denigrating European allies and now he will hopefully be excommunicated to China and Russia where he belongs
And I’d follow, given the chance. At least he’ll have a better life in a better place than disintegrating Europe.
By chance do you live not in “disintegrating Europe” but where people are presently lining up for hours for fuel?
Excellent marketing stunt by the Chinese BYD. Every corrupt politician knows now that BYD will take of of their own. Do favors for BYD and they will reward you with a long term financial support in the form of an executive/consultant position, even when the party you represent is voted out of decision making. BYD will now have much better position when negotiating unofficial deals with high ranking corrupt politicians.
International position . . . by Zoom, one supposes — the first thing an investigating judge will do is require that Sz’s passport be surrendered.
Wasn’t the man supposed to be gravely ill, though ? Well, the long-term salary cost to BYD should be manageable then.
What surprises a little bit is that large Chinese Companies are State owned and sometimes with direct chinese military involvement.
It’s not the first time that a high level European leader passes directly from national responsabilities to the payroll of a controversial foreign company but that’s not good news.
If Europe is so weak in the international arena there are many reasons.
Even a certain number of members of the European Parliament were often involved in lobbying by foreign countries.
Just like a former senior Polish government official staying in Hungary
I guess you could say I’m joining all of you. I didn’t like Péter as Foreign Minister much either. But, the real problem here is not that he took advantage of an “honorable offer”. It is that it wasn’t an offer. It was a buyout. The Chinese are not stupid, for “Pete’s sake” (no pun intended). They are well aware of who Péter Szijjártó is, what he has been to them, and what he has been to the Russians…….and they are very aware of his continued connections to 4IG, the Hungarian Arms company. The security risk is not even a risk. It is a dead certainty…….and NATO is well aware of it.
But I thought he was dying? Another lie.