A red carpet was rolled out, and a reception committee was prepared to welcome President Cyril Ramaphosa to Washington, D.C.

He landed there on Monday, ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

The Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said Ramaphosa is “highly enthused” about this engagement.

Speaking to media outside the hotel at which the President is staying in Washington, Magwenya said Ramaphosa’s primary goal is to have an open and constructive conversation.

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Trump has previously said that he expects an explanation on the unsubstantiated claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa. Last week, he noted that he may not attend the G20 Summit in Johannesburg in November, if that “situation” is not resolved.

But Ramaphosa’s focus will be more on the opportunities that will reset the SA-US relationship, among other things. Magwenya said the trade relationship between the two nations is one of the more pressing topics to be discussed, specifically the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade agreement.

The 25-year-old legislation guaranteed tax-free access of certain goods from Africa to the US. But the future of this trade agreement has become uncertain following Trump’s implementation of major global tariffs, including on South Africa, last month.

“We will still like to see AGOA extended, and see South Africa’s continued participation in AGOA. However, if the Trump administration has decided to do away with the trade scheme, we will then be ready to table an outline of what will be a new trade relationship framework,” said Magwenya.

DA-leader and Agriculture Minister, John Steenhuisen, will join talks in the interest of protecting South Africa’s access to the AGOA trade agreement.

He will be joined by the newly appointed special envoy to the US, Mcebisi Jonas, and other Ministers.

This article has been updated with additional information.