Hungary’s former foreign minister grilled over ties to China's BYD automaker while in office – Midland Daily News

Hungary’s former foreign minister grilled over ties to China’s BYD automaker while in office  Midland Daily News

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s former Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó appeared before a parliamentary committee on Monday to answer questions about his dealings with Chinese automaker BYD while still in office. He left politics in July to take up an executive position with the company. Szijjártó, who served as Hungary's foreign minister for 12 years under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán before an election defeat in April, announced in July that he would resign his seat in Hungary’s parliament to take the job at the world’s top electric carmaker. The announcement prompted accusations of a conflict of interest, and criticism of his central role in facilitating substantial government subsidies for the company while in office.

In addition to securing the deal allowing BYD to open its first European factory near the southern Hungarian city of Szeged, Szijjártó also announced in 2025 that the company would locate its European headquarters and a research and development center in Budapest, and receive 20 billion forints ($63.7 million) in government assistance. Upon arriving at the closed-door National Security Committee hearing on Monday, Szijjártó told reporters that there had been “serious misunderstandings” related to BYD’s investment in Hungary. He made no mention of his new position at the company, which he earlier described as an “executive responsible for the group’s external relations and the development