Brendan Lynch, the Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, is in India to resume trade talks. He arrived at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Delhi to meet with India’s chief negotiator, Rajesh Agrawal, and other officials. The discussions are centered on the bilateral trade agreement. These talks were initially planned for late August but were postponed.
As Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, Lynch has oversight of U.S. trade policy across 15 nations in the South and Central Asia region. His responsibilities include managing the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum and coordinating activities under Trade and Investment Framework Agreements with the region’s partners.
Before his current position, Lynch was the Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia. He managed negotiations across sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, services, and intellectual property rights. He also served as the Director for India at the USTR, focusing on the bilateral trade relationship.
Lynch’s career at USTR started in 2013 within the Office of Agricultural Affairs. He worked to promote U.S. agricultural trade interests and managed agricultural negotiations with countries in South and Central Asia, along with Taiwan, Israel, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and Russia.
Before joining USTR, Lynch served as an International Trade Analyst at the US International Trade Commission, providing economic analysis of free trade agreements and advising on trade barriers. He is a graduate of Boston College and George Washington University, holding both a B.S. and an M.B.A. degree.