US names Brendan Lynch as assistant USTR for South and Central Asia

For the past 11 years, Lynch has been a member of the USTR team, serving in several capacities related to the South and Central Asia region

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has named Brendan Lynch 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 2023. Over the past 11 years, Lynch has been a 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.

Apart from overseeing the development and execution of US trade policy across 15 countries in the region, Lynch looked after the management of the US-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF) as well as coordinated activities under Trade and Investment Framework Agreements (TIFAs) with regional partners.

Prior to this, he was USTR’s Director for India, where he managed the bilateral trade relationship with India. Lynch joined USTR in 2013 and served in the agency’s Office of Agricultural Affairs, where he promoted US agricultural trade interests in a variety of international platforms 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.

“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 in a statement. “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.”

USTR’s Office of South and Central Asian Affairs oversees the development and implementation of US trade policy and negotiation strategies for South Asia including 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 US trade policy for Iraq and Iran.

Prior to his work at USTR, Lynch served as an International Trade Analyst at the US International Trade Commission, where he provided economic analysis of free trade agreements and advised Congressional committees and USTR on trade barriers affecting US exports in key sectors and markets. He has a BS from Boston College and received his MBA from George Washington University.