Hungary: Former foreign minister joins BYD

Szijjártó announced the move himself on Facebook. He said that BYD had made him ‘a highly prestigious offer […] to fill an international position’ and that he would support the Chinese automotive manufacturer as Head of External Relations for the Group and the Development of New Business Areas.

The appointment is politically sensitive. As Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the Orbán government, Szijjártó was instrumental in securing the agreement that brought BYD’s first European passenger car factory to Hungary with the support of state subsidies.

Hungary’s new government has reacted negatively to Szijjártó’s move to BYD. Prime Minister Péter Magyar has raised both moral and legal concerns and used strong language in his criticism. “Working for the Chinese global corporation BYD is equivalent to entering the service of the Chinese Communist Party,” the Prime Minister said, according to the Budapester Zeitung. He added that Szijjártó’s move to a company that received subsidies from the Hungarian state would be regarded as corruption throughout Europe.

euronews.com, budapester.hu, facebook.com (Statement Szijjártó)