South Africa has dispatched trade officials to the United States to prepare for negotiations aimed at easing tariffs imposed by Washington, President Cyril Ramaphosa told parliament on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Ramaphosa said representatives from the Presidency and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition are in New York and Washington to engage with members of the Trump administration, US lawmakers and business leaders. Formal negotiations are expected to begin within days.

Talks are centred on South Africa’s critical mineral exports, Ramaphosa said, noting that Pretoria was pushing for minerals to be processed domestically before being shipped abroad. “Even as we may well want to export the critical minerals, we want them to leave the shores of South Africa as finished products … So that is the type of discussion that we are having with them,” he said.

The Office of the US Trade Representative has not yet confirmed the timetable for negotiations, Reuters reported.

Relations between Pretoria and Washington have deteriorated this year amid tensions over trade and politics. Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of discrimination against South Africa’s white minority triggered diplomatic friction and led to the creation of a refugee programme for white South Africans.