The United States’ new 30 percent tariffs on South African imports are a concern and underscore the urgent need for a new bilateral trade agreement, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday.

The United States is South Africa’s second-biggest trading partner and tens of thousands of jobs depend on this relationship, with vehicles among the key South African exports.

South Africa remains committed to a mutually beneficial trade relationship with the United States, Ramaphosa said after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on around 100 countries late Wednesday.

However, the “unilaterally imposed and punitive tariffs are a concern and serve as a barrier to trade and shared prosperity,” he said in a statement.

“The tariffs affirm the urgency to negotiate a new bilateral and mutually beneficial trade agreement with the US as an essential step to secure long-term trade certainty.”

South Africa has taken a battering from the Trump administration which cut financial aid this year over what it alleges is an anti-white land policy, among other criticisms.

Plummeting ties culminated in the expulsion of Pretoria’s ambassador last month.

South Africa is keen to maintain a trade deal known as AGOA (African Growth and Opportunities Act) that allows preferential access to the US market for many African countries and which is up for renewal this year.

South Africa is the biggest-non oil exporter in the accord to the United States, earning as much as $3.6 billion in 2023, much of it vehicle exports.

Around 86,000 jobs are directly tied to AGOA within car manufacturers, rising to 125,000 when including sub-contractors, according to the industry.

The United States has also imposed 25 percent tariffs on imported automobiles which kicked in on Thursday.