South & Central Asia

USTR’s Office of South and Central Asian Affairs oversees development and implementation of U.S. trade policy and negotiation strategies for South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). Recently, the Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), were added to the office in order to more effectively achieve the U.S. goal of further integrating them with the economies of South Asia. The office also oversees U.S. trade policy for Iraq.

Responsibilities include managing the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF) Cabinet-level bilateral trade dialogue, including coordinating the TPF’s Five Focus groups (Agriculture, Intellectual Property Rights, Investment, Services, Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers) and the Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG). Other areas of emphasis include leading the Trade and Investment Council Meetings under the U.S. Trade and Investment Framework Agreements (TIFAs) with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Central Asian states, and overseeing discussions on pending or potential TIFAs with Bangladesh, Iraq, Maldives, and Nepal.