Vancouver miners look to lithium rush in South America, Nevada

The miner said that the outlook for copper fundamentals in the medium- and long-term period remains favorable.

The miner said last week it had received enquires for long-term supply as Beijing lifted its ban.

Europe's energy crisis has taken a heavy toll on a notoriously power-hungry sector.

There are expectations of rising housing construction and infrastructure development this year in China .

Estimated Chinese production was 3.47 million tonnes in December.

The premium that buyers pay above futures prices for domestic copper have surged since the second half of last year.

Volumes have fallen every month year-on-year since the suspension of nickel trading and the decision to cancel trades.

“The Chinese, they’ve made a lot of money and made a lot of profit from this contract,” Tshisekedi said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Long copper positions are building on both the LME and the COMEX.