South African President Cyril Ramaphosa travels to the United States on Thursday where he will hold a meeting with host President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday, the presidency has announced.
“The two leaders will discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, including trade and investment, climate change, food security, energy, and peace and security,” the presidency said.
During the US visit, Ramaphosa will reaffirm the importance of the strategic and mutually beneficial relations between South Africa and the United States, his office said.
“The president will further emphasise the need for enhanced multilateralism and dialogue as the means through which the challenges facing humanity can be addressed,” it said.
These include the urgent need to stimulate economic recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ramaphosa and his delegation are also expected to meet US Congress leaders and veterans of the civil rights movement who were instrumental in lobbying the American public against apartheid and who remain loyal to the cause of anti-racism in both the US and South Africa.
The US is a major export market for South Africa, a significant source of foreign direct investment, technology transfer, development assistance and tourism.
Trade and investment relations take place under the auspices of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which grants duty-free and quota-free access to the US market for value-added products.
The South African leader is on Saturday expected to travel from Washington DC to London in the United Kingdom to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II scheduled for September 19.
NM/jn/APA