Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, Brendan Lynch, arrived at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Delhi. The US team, led by Lynch, is in India to restart discussions with India’s chief negotiator, Rajesh Agrawal, and other officials regarding the bilateral trade agreement. The trade talks were initially scheduled for August 25-29 but were postponed and have now resumed.
Brendan Lynch serves as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia. In this capacity, he oversees the development and implementation of U.S. trade policy across 15 countries in the region, including managing the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum. He is also responsible for coordinating activities under Trade and Investment Framework Agreements with regional partners.
Previously, Lynch held the position of Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, where he managed negotiations in various sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, services, and intellectual property rights. Before that, he served as the United States Trade Representative (USTR)’s Director for India, overseeing the bilateral trade relationship with India.
Lynch’s career at USTR began in 2013 in the Office of Agricultural Affairs, where he promoted US agricultural trade interests in international forums. He managed bilateral agricultural negotiations with countries in South and Central Asia, as well as Taiwan, Israel, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and Russia.
Prior to joining USTR, Lynch worked as an International Trade Analyst at the US International Trade Commission. He provided economic analysis of free trade agreements and advised Congressional committees and USTR on trade barriers impacting US exports in key sectors and markets. He earned a B.S. from Boston College and an M.B.A. from George Washington University.