Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said former foreign minister Peter Szijjarto's appointment at Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD would not affect the government's relationship with the company, but raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest, Index.hu wrote after Magyar's July 16 press briefing.  

Magyar said Hungary should introduce stricter post-government employment rules, including "cooling-off" periods to prevent former officials from quickly taking private sector positions linked to their previous government roles.

Speaking at a government press briefing, Magyar said BYD would be treated like any other foreign investor and would have to comply with Hungary's environmental, labour and tax regulations. If the company meets its investment commitments and pays its taxes, "we are happy they are here", he said.

BYD has received around HUF300bn (€830mn) in Hungarian state support, including direct subsidies and commitments to develop road and energy infrastructure near its sites, according to the prime minister.

Szijjarto, who served as foreign minister between 2014 and 2026, announced on July 15 that he would give up his parliamentary mandate to take a senior position at BYD.

Magyar said the move would not influence state relations with the company, but questioned whether it was appropriate for a former government official to join a multinational company whose investment projects he had previously promoted.

"In a normal democracy, it should not happen that someone who considers himself a national patriot politician then goes to work for a global multinational whose support he lobbied for," Magyar said, adding that the issue raised both ethical and potential legal questions.

Magyar added that authorities would likely examine the matter, but said he did not want to prejudge any investigation. He also confirmed that an inquiry had been launched into Szijjarto's alleged links to Russia, but did not provide further details.

At the press conference, Magyar said that several officials from various Orban governments" had avoided taking leading positions at the Samsung plant in God, and that the company had also received "huge" state support.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Anita Orban called Szijjarto's move to join BYD unprecedented. Speaking to RTL news, said that it as unusual and unprecedented for a former government official to move so quickly from a top state position to a company that had received tens of billions of forints in state support during his time overseeing investment policy.

She added that her ministry was reviewing potentially problematic contracts inherited from the previous administration, but the process was moving slowly because the former government had left behind limited digital records.

Others have raised national security concerns over Szijjarto’s move to join BYD after giving up his parliamentary mandate.

Former MEP and foreign ministry state secretary Istvan Szent-Ivanyi said the appointment raised security questions because Szijjarto, as foreign minister, oversaw Hungary’s foreign intelligence service, the Information Office, which holds valuable information on Nato and EU affairs.

While Hungary’s allies have reportedly limited the sharing of the most sensitive intelligence with Budapest in recent years due to security concerns, Szentivanyi argued that the IH still retains access to significant intelligence resources and networks.

Under China’s national security legislation, major Chinese companies are required to cooperate with state intelligence agencies when requested, which could also apply to BYD, he argued. 

This has contributed to increased scrutiny of Chinese firms abroad, with companies such as Huawei, ZTE and TikTok facing restrictions in several countries over security concerns. 

BYD said Szijjarto would not be involved in the company’s Hungarian operations but would focus on international activities. His appointment has attracted particular scrutiny due to his extensive diplomatic ties with Russia and China developed during his time in government.