China Tightens Grip on Copper Smelting

Via Metal Miner Throughout 2024, China worked to control its rapidly growing copper smelters, which were lowering profit margins amid a bustling copper market. In response, China has released new, more stringent regulations for the construction of new copper smelters. The move aims to keep excess capacity in check. However, it’s a slowdown rather than a complete halt to copper smelting. China currently leads the world in refined copper production and is also the world’s largest copper consumer. In fact, analysts expect about half of…