{
  "id": 12167296,
  "title": "Hungary hauls ex-foreign minister in to explain how he got a top job at BYD months after arranging government contracts",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/hungary-hauls-ex-foreign-minister-in-to-explain-how-he-got-a-top-job",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-05T13:44:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/10/05/china-byd-hungary-evs-conflict-of-interest/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hungary's ex-Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó faced questioning on Monday by a parliamentary committee regarding his appointment to lead Chinese automaker BYD in Hungary, even after leaving politics in July. Szijjártó, who previously held the foreign minister position for 12 years under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, resigned his parliament seat to take the role at BYD. The move raised concerns about conflicts of interest, particularly as Szijjártó had previously facilitated substantial government subsidies for the company while still in office. In addition to opening BYD's first European factory in southern Hungary, the former minister also arranged for the company to establish its European headquarters and research and development center in Budapest, receiving a total of 20 billion forints ($63.7 million) in government assistance.\n\nDuring a closed-door hearing with the National Security Committee, Szijjártó acknowledged \"serious misunderstandings\" surrounding BYD's investment in Hungary but did not mention his new position. He described the factory's arrival in Hungary as a \"great success.\" Speaking on Monday, however, he mentioned the 20 billion forints in government subsidies as being \"well within the framework of the usual subsidies for investments of this magnitude.\"\n\nHungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced in July that Szijjártó had helped BYD secure \"hundreds of billions\" in public money, diplomatic support, and state infrastructure during his time in office. Upon his return to Hungary, Magyar stated that an investigation would be launched to examine all decisions, negotiations, and state commitments related to BYD's investment. Throughout his time in office, Szijjártó secured numerous foreign investment deals with Chinese companies to open factories in Hungary, mainly related to battery production for the electric vehicle industry. However, decreased demand and market pressures since then have prevented those investments from delivering significant returns.\n\nSince taking office in May, Magyar's government has promised stricter regulations and enhanced oversight of the battery production sector following workplace accidents and findings of contamination exceeding legal limits at several plants.",
  "summary": "Péter Szijjártó faced lawmakers over BYD dealings after helping secure its first European plant and $63.7 million in state assistance",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}