President Ramaphosa highlights importance of US visit

President Cyril Ramaphosa has highlighted the importance of his recent working visit to the United States (US), telling Parliament that the engagement was both necessary and timely, given the critical role the US continues to play in South Africa’s economic landscape.

“The United States continues to plays such a big role in the life of our economy. It was necessary and important for us to go and engage with them, because many of our people's jobs depend on our economic dealings with the United States,” President Ramaphosa said recently.

The President was responding to questions from Members of Parliament, with topics such as economic growth and the rising cost of living on the agenda.

President Ramaphosa recently concluded a successful working visit to the US, accompanied by ministers, well-known South Africans, and representatives from business and labour.

The visit was aimed at improving and strengthening bilateral relations between South Africa and the US.

The President explained that the objective of the trip was to meet with the US government to discuss tariffs, investment, and other related matters. It was also to encourage the US President Donald Trump to attend the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit which South Africa will host and to promote investment by American companies in South Africa and South African companies in the US.

He reiterated that the primary goal of the working visit was to reset the relationship between the two countries, recognising the significant economic and political ties.

The delegation also sought to address concerns over the strained relationship, which was a concern for many in South Africa, and to ensure mutual economic benefits.

“The issue of relations between South Africa and the United States  was an issue that occupied many people’s minds in our country, and many had raised concerns about the deteriorating relationship between our two countries, having recognised the important role that both our countries play in each other's economy, apart from various political relations, diplomatic relations, and we realised that the impact on our country's economy would be adverse unless we were able to repair or reset the relationship between our two countries,” the President said.

The President highlighted the importance of the US as a trading partner, with over 600 American companies invested in South Africa, and vice versa.

On the economic and sectoral impact, President Ramaphosa detailed that the sectors that would be affected by the relationship with the US included the agriculture and automotive sectors.

He added that the visit aimed to protect jobs and investments in these sectors by maintaining strong economic ties.

G20 and strengthening ties

On the Group of Twenty (G20), the President said that the trip aimed to highlight the significance of the G20 process and to encourage US participation.

“It was also important to discuss the G20 and to highlight the important role that a country like the United States, which is the largest economy in the world, plays in the activities of the G20, which we are so deeply immersed in and have the responsibility of leading. It is important for the United States to engage with the G20 process, and ultimately to entice the leader of the United States to come to the leaders’ summit at the end of the year,” the President said.

The President emphasised that despite public perceptions, the delegation had meaningful discussions with President Trump and his representatives, fostering ongoing engagement.

He added that the engagement process initiated after the trip has led to discussions on tariffs and investments, indicating a positive reset of relations.

The reset of relations is believed to have been achieved, with ongoing discussions expected to continue through the G20 process.

Despite what we could have seen on television, we were able to have a much more meaningful discussion and meeting with President Trump and his representatives during the quiet room where we had lunch together and had meaningful exchanges on a number of issues. And we do believe that the engagement will continue through the G20 process,” the President concluded.