Chile's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Chile and the US had signed a joint statement to launch consultations on critical minerals and rare earths. The statement also added that the first meeting would be held within the next two weeks. Rare earths are widely used in fields such as EVs, semiconductors, national defense systems, and consumer electronics products. Chile is the world's largest copper producer and the second-largest lithium producer. US Deputy Secretary of State Landau told reporters in Chile: "I believe the US and Chile can do a great deal together to strengthen the supply chains for these minerals." Landau added: "We will explore how to cooperate."

Rio Tinto has suspended operations at its Kennecott copper mine in Utah after a fatal accident involving a contract worker. The mine is one of the most significant copper producers in the United States. The company said operations will remain halted while a full safety investigation is conducted.

Zambia is courting global investors, including from the United States, as it aims to more than triple its copper output to 3 million metric tons by 2031, its mines minister said on Tuesday.Africa’s second-largest copper producer after Democratic Republic of Congo is seen as one of the countries Washington is keen to partner with as the US escalates efforts to loosen China’s grip on materials crucial to advanced manufacturing.

Zambia's mining minister said on Tuesday that the country was actively attracting global investors, including those from the US, with the goal of more than tripling copper production to 3 million mt by 2031.Zambia's copper production last year was 890,346 mt, falling short of the annual production target of 1 million mt. Zambia is Africa's second-largest copper producer, behind only the DRC. Copper is a key material for EVs and renewable energy infrastructure and is critical to the transition to a low-carbon economy.

SMM Morning Meeting Minutes: Overnight, LME copper opened at $12,794.5/mt. After dipping to $12,734/mt in early trading, its center rose throughout the session, touching a high of $12,968.5/mt near the close, and finally settled at $12,919/mt, up 0.39%. Trading volume rose to 31,000 lots, an increase of 6,518 lots from the previous trading day; open interest rose to 303,000 lots, down 5,089 lots from the previous trading day, mainly reflecting bears reducing positions overall. Overnight, the most-traded SHFE copper 2604 contract opened at 100,230 yuan/mt. After bottoming at 100,050 yuan/mt in early trading, its center rose throughout the session, touching a high of 101,250 yuan/mt at the close, and finally settled at 101,160 yuan/mt, up 1.28%. Trading volume fell to 46,000 lots, down 148,000 lots from the previous trading day; open interest fell to 197,000 lots, down 3,094 lots from the previous trading day, mainly reflecting bears reducing positions overall.

Taseko Mines' Florence Copper project in Arizona has successfully produced its first copper cathodes, marking the first new copper production from a greenfield facility in the U.S. since 2008. The project employs a globally pioneering in-situ copper recovery technology and is expected to produce 85 million pounds of LME Grade A copper annually, making it the third-largest copper producer in the country. All copper produced will be supplied to the U.S. domestic market, supporting supply chain security for key sectors such as automotive, semiconductors, and defense.

According to Bloomberg, flooding caused a key bridge south of the Zambian border to collapse, severing the Democratic Republic of Congo’s main copper export corridor to the Kasumbalesa border crossing and disrupting shipments from the world’s second-largest copper producer. The Zambia Revenue Authority said in a notice on Sunday that traffic to and from the Kasumbalesa border post has been affected due to the bridge damage, and transporters are advised to use alternative routes. According to SMM, this corridor handles approximately one-third of the DRC’s copper cathode exports. Currently, outbound shipments from the southern DRC copper-cobalt belt are being rerouted via the Jiayou–Sakania and Mokambo border crossings.

According to foreign media reports, data released by Chile's National Statistics Institute shows that copper production in Chile, the world's largest copper producer, fell 3% year-on-year in January to 413,712 metric tons. The agency stated that the country's manufacturing output also declined by 3.8% during the same month.

Data from the Chilean National Statistics Institute showed that Chile, the world's largest copper producer, saw its copper production fall 3% YoY in January to 413,712 mt. The agency stated that Chile's manufacturing output dropped 3.8% YoY that month.

Chile is entering a new political phase as a right-wing government prepares to take office, putting mining policy under renewed scrutiny in the world’s largest copper-producing country.