The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today announced that Brendan Lynch will serve as the Assistant United States Trade Representative for South and Central Asia. Lynch has served as the Acting Assistant United States Trade Representative for South and Central Asia since March of 2023. Over the last 11 years, Lynch has been a dedicated member of USTR’s team, serving in several capacities relating to the South and Central Asia region, including most recently as Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative for South and Central Asia.
“For over ten years, Brendan has been a key part of the USTR team to advance our trade and economic relationships with South and Central Asian economies,” said United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai. “Our Administration will continue to deepen our ties with the region, to drive sustainable and inclusive growth for our peoples, and Brendan will play a crucial role in that effort. I look forward to continuing this work with Brendan and I congratulate him on his new role.”
USTR’s Office of South and Central Asian Affairs oversees the development and implementation of U.S. trade policy and negotiation strategies for South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) and the Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). The office also oversees U.S. trade policy for Iraq and Iran.
Brendan Lynch, Assistant United States Trade Representative for South and Central Asia
Brendan Lynch is the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia. In this position, Mr. Lynch oversees the development and implementation of U.S. trade policy in about 15 countries in the region, including management of the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF) as well as coordination of activity under Trade and Investment Framework Agreements (TIFAs) with regional partners.
Previously, Mr. Lynch was the Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia. Mr. Lynch managed negotiations in the region across sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, services, and intellectual property rights. Before this, he was USTR’s Director for India, where he managed the bilateral trade relationship with India. Mr. Lynch initially joined USTR in 2013 and served in the agency’s Office of Agricultural Affairs, where he promoted U.S. agricultural trade interests in a variety of international fora and managed bilateral negotiations related to agriculture with countries in the South and Central Asia region as well as Taiwan, Israel, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and Russia.
Before his work at USTR, Mr. Lynch served as an International Trade Analyst at the U.S. International Trade Commission, where he provided economic analysis of free trade agreements and advised Congressional committees and USTR on trade barriers affecting U.S. exports in key sectors and markets. He has a B.S. from Boston College and received his M.B.A. from George Washington University.
