SMM Morning Meeting Minutes: On Friday night last week, LME copper opened at $12,871.5/mt. After fluctuating rangebound in early trading, it dipped to $12,805.5/mt, then the center rose to a high of $12,927.5/mt, and finally closed at $12,869/mt, up 0.08%. Trading volume fell by 3,517 lots from the previous trading day to 24,000 lots; open interest increased by 2,377 lots from the previous trading day to 308,000 lots, mainly reflecting bulls adding positions overall. On Friday night last week, the most-traded SHFE copper 2604 contract opened at 100,250 yuan/mt. It bottomed at 100,180 yuan/mt in early trading, then the center rose to a high of 100,820 yuan/mt, and finally closed at 100,250 yuan/mt while fluctuating rangebound, down 0.53%. Trading volume fell by 58,000 lots from the previous trading day to 69,000 lots; open interest increased by 1,229 lots from the previous trading day to 197,000 lots, mainly reflecting bears adding positions overall.

[Frequent Supply Disruptions; Imported TCs Continued to Decline]: Weekly data showed that the average weekly TC for SMM Zn50 domestic remained flat at 1,550 yuan/mt in metal content, while the SMM Imported Zinc Concentrate Index fell by $8.37/dmt MoM to $15.38/dmt...

[2026 Zinc Concentrates Benchmark Released] It was reported that the market heard this week that Teck Resources, a Canadian mining company, and a South Korean zinc company agreed on a 2026 benchmark processing fee for imported zinc concentrates of $85/dmt, a slight rebound from $80/dmt in 2025, while raising charges for silver and germanium after prices for the two metals surged.

SMM, February 27: After the Chinese New Year, the tungsten market got off to a good start, re-entering an accelerated uptrend and repeatedly hitting new highs.

[SMM Analysis: Key Anchor in Great Power Rivalry: The U.S. "Project Vault" and the Changing Resource Landscape in Latin America] While the second phase of Chinese company's Mirador copper mine in Ecuador remains mired in a 'completed but awaiting approval' deadlock, 10,000 kilometers away in Washington, the President, alongside the Export-Import Bank of the United States, is announcing a historic supply chain security initiative named 'Project Vault.'

[SMM Analysis: The "Key Anchor Point" in Great Power Rivalry: The US "Treasury Plan" and the Resource Reshuffle in Latin America] As the second phase of the Mirador copper mine project in Ecuador, developed by a Chinese enterprise, remains stuck in a "built but awaiting approval" deadlock, ten thousand kilometers away in Washington, the US Export-Import Bank, together with the President, is announcing a historic supply chain security initiative called the "Treasury Plan." In the pause and the start, a global covert battle over critical minerals such as copper, lithium, cobalt, and gallium is moving from behind the scenes to the forefront.

[Lead Smelter Updates] Recently, Yunnan Chihong Zn & Ge Co., Ltd. (600497) stated on an interactive platform that the company primarily focuses on the extraction, enrichment, and efficient recovery technologies of germanium resources associated with lead-zinc mines. By deepening strategic collaboration with its joint venture Chalco Qianxing (Chengdu) Technology Co., Ltd., it continues to provide stable, high-quality germanium raw material supplies. The processing of the mining license and project design optimization for the Jinxin Molybdenum Mine are progressing in an orderly manner. The Huize Mining Mine Plant has not implemented a deep expansion project; instead, it is advancing the optimization of its deep safety system, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

[Smelter procurement sentiment remained low, TCs held steady in multiple regions]: On a weekly basis, the SMM Zn50 domestic weekly TC average was flat MoM at 1,500 yuan/mt in metal content, while the SMM imported zinc concentrate index fell $0.62/dmt MoM to $24.88/dmt...

According to the release from Ivanhoe Mines on February 3, Ivanhoe Mines is engaged in in-depth discussions with Gécamines and Mercuria, planning to supply critical minerals from the ultra-high-grade Kipushi zinc-lead-germanium-gallium mine to the US. Under the proposed agreement, Mercuria's current offtake of Kipushi zinc concentrates will be allocated to the trading division of Gécamines, and the excess production resulting from the successful debottlenecking and expansion of Kipushi in Q4 2025 will also be allocated. The concentrates produced from the Kipushi mine also contain significant amounts of germanium and gallium. Gécamines has the potential to be responsible for the sales of up to 50% of the mine's concentrate production, including sales to the US.

According to a report by Bloomberg on Mining.com, the US Department of Defense (DoD) invested $18 million in Canada's 5N Plus Inc. to help the company expand its germanium metal refining capacity. Germanium is used in night vision systems and other application fields. Mike Cadenazzi, a Pentagon official, stated in an announcement regarding the deal, "Our warfighters rely on next-generation optical technologies for surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting, and germanium is a critical material for manufacturing these devices." The US has been seeking secure supplies of critical minerals to reduce risks and external dependencies. Since 2024, the US has invested over $60 million in Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises producing these materials, including Nano One Materials Corp, which produces LFP battery cathode materials, and other enterprises producing graphite and tungsten. Since 2020, the DoD has been collaborating with the company to improve semiconductor production processes needed for space programs and to produce germanium wafers for solar cells used in defense and commercial satellites. Over the past three years, the stock price of Montreal-based 5N Plus has increased by more than 650%. In November last year, management discussed several demand trends with analysts, including accelerated developments in solar energy and artificial intelligence, which are expected to drive demand growth this year. The company, which began supplying materials for medical imaging in 2000, currently has a market capitalization exceeding C$2 billion ($1.5 billion). 5N Plus sources its germanium from Canada's Teck Resources Ltd., Europe's Umicore SA and Nyrstar NV, as well as scrap recyclers in the US. These materials are used to produce germanium wafers at the company's facility in St. George, Utah. "This funding will enable 5N Plus to significantly increase its germanium metal refining capacity and support its plan to procure germanium from underutilized and previously untapped domestic sources," said Gervais Jacques, the company's CEO. In September last year, Jacques revealed to Montreal's La Presse that the company plans to make a medium-sized acquisition in the US, followed by a smaller acquisition, to expand its manufacturing capacity.