According to CMOC’s official WeChat account: On March 27, CMOC released its 2025 annual results report, which showed that the company’s operating revenue reached 206.684 billion yuan, standing firmly above the 200 billion yuan mark for the second consecutive year; net profit attributable to shareholders came in at 20.339 billion yuan, up 50.30% YoY and setting a new record for the fifth consecutive year; net operating cash flow reached the second-highest level in its history at 20.843 billion yuan; and total assets exceeded 200 billion yuan for the first time, reaching 200.932 billion yuan, up 18.03% YoY. In particular, in Q4, the company recorded operating revenue of 61.198 billion yuan, net profit attributable to shareholders of 6.059 billion yuan, and copper production of nearly 200,000 mt, all setting record highs for a single quarter. In 2025, with organisational upgrading as its main focus, the company built a “specialised, internationalised, and younger” team, refined its operations, and, together with rising prices for major products and strong production and sales, pushed its performance to a new peak. Specifically— Operating quality continued to improve. Revenue from the mining segment reached 77.713 billion yuan, accounting for 38% of total operating revenue, with the “mining” share up about 7 percentage points from 2024. Among this, revenue from copper products was 55.096 billion yuan, accounting for 27% of total operating revenue and 71% of mining-segment revenue. Both “copper” share indicators increased by about 7 percentage points YoY. This was attributable to the continued debottlenecking of two world-class copper mines, TFM and KFM, based on their existing six production lines. During the reporting period, the company’s copper production reached 741,100 mt, setting another record high and consolidating its position among the world’s top 10 copper producers. Based on the midpoint of production guidance, the completion rate was 118%, while maintaining double-digit growth of 13.99% YoY. Sales were 730,200 mt, up 5.90% YoY. Together with higher prices, copper revenue increased 31.63% YoY. Production of other products also exceeded expectations: niobium production hit a record high of 10,348 mt, with a completion rate of 103%; phosphate fertiliser production was 1.2135 million mt, with a completion rate of 106%; cobalt production was 117,500 mt, with a completion rate of 107%; molybdenum production was 13,906 mt, with a completion rate of 103%; and tungsten production was 7,114 mt, with a completion rate of 102%. In addition, the company recorded physical trading volume of 4.71 million mt, with a completion rate of 111%; IXM’s gross margin under IFRS was 2.11%, a recent high. The results of “cost reduction and efficiency improvement” became even more evident. Full-year operating costs were 157.229 billion yuan, down 11.56% YoY. In 2025, mining areas worldwide focused on key words such as innovation, technological transformation, and process optimisation, putting the concept of “refined operations” into practice. In Q4, TFM’s overall copper beneficiation and smelting recovery rate, equipment operating rate, and raw ore throughput all exceeded the calendar schedule; KFM established an ore characteristics database and ore blending model, lifting grinding efficiency by more than 30% YoY; at CMOC Brazil’s niobium segment, the recovery rates of two beneficiation plants rose by about 2 percentage points from the previous year, setting record highs; in China, recovery rates at Shangfanggou molybdenum and Sandaozhuang molybdenum and tungsten increased by 3.24 and 2.65, and 3.17 percentage points YoY, respectively, also reaching record highs. Centered on “multiple products, multiple countries, and multiple stages,” the company built a “copper + gold” dual-pole structure in 2025, adding gold resources last year. Together with the greenfield gold mine in Ecuador and four operating gold mines in Brazil, the company will have gold production capacity of 20 mt in South America by 2029. The Ecuador gold mine is expected to start production in 2029, with land acquisition and power supply assurance advancing rapidly; the Brazil gold mines achieved output above target in the first two months, and are expected to produce 6-8 mt of gold this year. Targeting copper production of 800,000-1 million mt in 2028, the company is building Phase II of the KFM project, which is expected to add annual copper capacity of 100,000 mt after coming into operation in 2027; TFM identified resource potential in relevant deposits, and preliminary preparations for Phase III construction are accelerating. In addition, the company completed the issuance of a $1.2 billion one-year zero-coupon convertible bond, broadening financing channels to support the implementation of its strategy. Alongside earnings growth, the company consistently practiced high-standard ESG principles. During the reporting period, ESG governance was further improved and digitalisation advanced; environmental performance led globally: the carbon emission intensity of its copper products was lower than that of 70% of mining companies worldwide, while the shares of renewable energy and water recycling increased further from 2024 to 38% and 89%, respectively; total global economic contribution reached 182.42 billion yuan, and global community investment was 488 million yuan. 2026 is a critical year for the company to fully implement its new development strategy and deepen platform-based operations and refined management. The company will further build a platform-based organisation: with the global supply chain centre as the pioneer, it will enhance synergies and cost competitiveness; relying on the “622” model, supplemented by multinational mine management experience and standardised business processes, it will improve its global control system. Centered on the “copper-gold dual poles,” the company will further transform its resource advantages into capacity and production advantages, while continuing to seek high-quality targets. With the goal of becoming a “globally leading, distinctive world-class mining company,” the company will continue to forge ahead in the mining industry.

A Rio Tinto executive said the company expected the Resolution Copper mine in Arizona, US, to come online in the mid-2030s.After years of litigation, this Anglo-Australian mining giant secured control of the land required to build one of the world's largest copper mines this month.The company had now launched a $500 million drilling program to explore the previously inaccessible 30% of the deposit. This exploration would help the company determine the commissioning timetable, but the first batch of copper ore was expected to be produced within a decade.

SMM Morning Meeting Summary: Overnight, LME copper opened at $12,016.5/mt. After dipping to $11,955.5/mt in early trading, its center rose sharply to a high of $12,160/mt, and then continued to hover at highs, finally closing at $12,092.5/mt, down 1.05%. Trading volume reached 23,000 lots, open interest stood at 293,000 lots, up 406 lots from the previous trading day, mainly reflecting increased short positions overall. Overnight, the most-traded SHFE copper 2605 contract opened at 93,600 yuan/mt and touched a low of 93,480 yuan/mt at the open. Its center then moved higher to a high of 94,990 yuan/mt, after which copper prices maintained a fluctuating trend at highs, finally closing at 94,670 yuan/mt, up 0.17%. Trading volume reached 51,000 lots, open interest stood at 198,000 lots, down 533 lots from the previous trading day, mainly reflecting reduced short positions throughout the day.

HBIS Resources (000923) announced on March 17 that the Limpopo Province of South Africa, where its subsidiary Palabora Copper (Pty) Ltd. is located, and the neighboring Mpumalanga Province had been hit by the most severe flooding disaster since 2000. As runoff from the open pit and surrounding catchment areas surged into the company’s mine workings, some tunnels in Phase I and Phase II of the copper project were flooded, causing some critical facilities to be submerged (with no casualties). As the operating area of Copper Phase II is located at a deeper level, dewatering has progressed relatively slowly, and dewatering operations are still underway, with completion expected in early April.

Zambia’s mining regulator said it had suspended operations at Mopani Copper Mines’ Mufulira mine after it failed to account for all its underground stuff.

【SMM News Flash】CopperTech Metals announced a strategic partnership with Axiom Group, VBKOM, and Fleet Space Technologies on Wednesday to apply next-generation geoscientific technologies in the exploration of the Konkola copper mine.KCM (Konkola Copper Mines Plc), a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources established in 2025 under CopperTech, is responsible for the operation of the Konkola mine.The Konkola mine is considered one of the world's highest-grade copper ore assets, with proven ore grades ranging from 2.9% to 3.3% and total copper reserves/resources of approximately 16 million mt.

SMM Analysis: In January 2026, blister copper RCs in south China were quoted at 1,900–2,200 yuan/mt, with an average of 2,050 yuan/mt, up 550 yuan/mt MoM...

The record of investor relations activities of Yunnan Copper from June 11 to June 13, 2025, recently released by Yunnan Copper, shows: Regarding the company's basic information, Yunnan Copper introduced: Yunnan Copper was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 1998. Its main businesses cover copper exploration, mining, beneficiation, smelting, extraction and processing of precious metals and minor metals, sulfur chemical industry, and trade. It is an important production site for copper, gold, silver, and sulfur chemicals in China. Among them, the capacity for copper cathode is 1.4 million mt. The company is the only publicly listed firm in the copper industry of Chalco and China Copper. In Q1 2025, the company produced 348,900 mt of copper cathode, up 48.15% YoY; 5.80 mt of gold, up 95.63% YoY; 128.48 mt of silver, up 54.31% YoY; 1.3872 million mt of sulphuric acid, up 23.61% YoY; and 13,900 mt of copper in copper concentrates, down 15% YoY. At the end of Q1 2025, the company's total assets were 49.256 billion yuan, with an asset-liability ratio of 62.39%. It achieved an operating revenue of 37.754 billion yuan, up 19.71% YoY; a total profit of 922 million yuan, up 14.11% YoY; a net profit attributable to publicly listed firms of 560 million yuan, up 23.97% YoY; and a basic earnings per share of 0.2793 yuan, up 23.97% YoY. II. Q&A Session 1. In the face of the sluggish processing fee situation this year, what measures has the company taken to respond? Yunnan Copper stated: On the one hand, the company has strategically planned for "digital and intelligent transformation, expanding resources, refining mines, optimizing smelting, solidifying secondary (copper), and meticulously managing minor (metals)", and increased the extraction of urban mines and minor metals. On the other hand, in 2025, the company focuses on the key work of extreme operation, striving to promote high-quality development of the company, and advancing cost reduction with iron determination. After several years of cost reduction, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement, the costs of the company's main products have certain competitiveness. In addition, the company has increased the profit contribution of by-products such as sulphuric acid, molybdenum, selenium, tellurium, platinum, palladium, and rhenium to enhance the company's comprehensive competitiveness. 2. What is the expected impact of the current smelting processing fees on the company's profits? Yunnan Copper stated: Since this year, long-term contracts and spot TC have seen significant declines compared to last year. The company has offset the adverse impact of the decline in processing fees through measures such as cost reduction, expanding procurement channels, and increasing direct supply of ore from mines. In addition, the company focuses on the layout of secondary copper and minor metals, while continuing to increase the profit contribution of by-products such as sulphuric acid, molybdenum, selenium, tellurium, platinum, palladium, and rhenium to offset the profit pressure caused by the decline in processing fees. 3. What is the approximate sales volume and price of sulphuric acid for the company this year? Yunnan Copper Science & Technology Development Co., Ltd. stated: Sulphuric acid is a by-product of the company's copper smelting process, and its price varies due to regional factors. In Q1 this year, the average price of sulphuric acid in major regions increased significantly YoY. The company actively seized market opportunities, contributing positively to its performance. 4. What efforts has the company made in resource acquisition? Yunnan Copper Science & Technology Development Co., Ltd. stated: The company attaches great importance to the replacement of mine resources and has increased capital investment to carry out comprehensive geological studies of various mining areas and exploration work in the deep and peripheral parts of mines. In 2024, the company invested 65 million yuan in exploration activities and exploration work in the deep and peripheral parts of mines, adding 91,800 mt of inferred and above copper resource metal content, achieving the annual target and realizing annual reserve increases greater than mine output consumption for four consecutive years. In addition, on the basis of managing existing mines and smelters well, the company actively focuses on high-quality copper resource projects. 5. The company announced its intention to issue shares to purchase a 40% stake in Liangshan Mining held by Yunnan Copper Group. What is the current progress, and what advantages will it bring to the company? Yunnan Copper Science & Technology Development Co., Ltd. stated: On May 13, 2025, the company issued the "Announcement on Suspension of Trading for the Purpose of Planning to Issue Shares to Purchase Assets and Raise Supporting Funds", indicating that the company is planning to issue shares to purchase a 40% stake in Liangshan Mining Co., Ltd. held by Yunnan Copper (Group) Co., Ltd. and raise supporting funds. Currently, the company and relevant parties are actively promoting various aspects of this transaction. Liangshan Mining is a copper resource production and smelting enterprise spanning the copper mining, beneficiation, and smelting industries, covering copper, iron, and sulphuric acid products. Liangshan Mining owns high-quality copper resources such as the Lala Copper Mine and Hongnipo Copper Mine, currently capable of producing approximately 13,000 mt of copper concentrates, 119,000 mt of copper anodes, and 400,000 mt of industrial sulphuric acid annually. Liangshan Mining is one of the core copper resource production and smelting bases under China Copper Corporation. As of the end of March 2025, the high-quality copper mine resources it holds, including the Hongnipo Copper Mine, Lala Copper Mine, and Hailin Copper Mine, have a copper metal reserve of 779,700 mt, with an average copper grade of 1.16%, higher than the current average copper grade of 0.38% at Yunnan Copper Science & Technology Development Co., Ltd. In 2024, it successfully bid for and obtained the exploration rights to the Hailin Copper Mine in Huili City, Sichuan Province, with a mining area of 48.34 square kilometers, further enhancing the resource reserve potential of Liangshan Mining. In addition, the copper mining costs of the mines owned by Liangshan Mining are relatively low, demonstrating good cost competitiveness. The sulphuric acid sales prices in south-west China, where Liangshan Mining is located, are also relatively favorable. This time, the company intends to acquire a 40% stake in Liangshan Mining held by its controlling shareholder, Yunnan Copper Group, which can further resolve horizontal competition and ensure the faithful implementation of relevant commitments. Meanwhile, Liangshan Mining boasts significant resource advantages and a solid profitability foundation, with a return on net assets higher than the industry average. Upon completion of the Hongnipo Copper Mine, it will reach a medium-to-large scale among copper mines, further enhancing its profitability. After the injection of Liangshan Mining into Yunnan Copper, it can effectively increase the publicly listed firm's equity copper resource reserves, enhance the overall asset and profit scale as well as the industry position of the publicly listed firm, facilitate the full play of business synergies by the publicly listed firm, strengthen the reserve of high-quality resources and capacity layout, enhance comprehensive strength and core competitiveness, and promote the high-quality development of the publicly listed firm. In addition, this acquisition is a specific measure taken by the company to implement the relevant opinions of the SASAC of the State Council on improving and strengthening the market value management of listed firms controlled by central state-owned enterprises, and to carry out M&A and restructuring activities that are conducive to enhancing the investment value of listed firms, which is conducive to safeguarding the rights and interests of the listed firm and all its shareholders. 6. What is the construction status of the Hongnipo Project of Liangshan Mining? Yunnan Copper stated: The Hongnipo Copper Mine is currently in the construction phase. The total identified ore reserves amount to 41.606 million mt, with an average copper grade of 1.42% and a copper metal content of 592,900 mt. The company will closely monitor the project's construction progress and strictly fulfill its information disclosure obligations in accordance with relevant regulations such as the "SZSE Listing Rules". Please stay tuned for the company's announcements. According to the record of Yunnan Copper's investor relations activities on March 26, 2025 (Interpretation Meeting Series I for the 2024 Annual Report) previously announced by Yunnan Copper: In 2024, Yunnan Copper adhered to the guidance of Party building, continued to strive and forge ahead, comprehensively implemented the decisions and deployments of the company's Party committee and board of directors, overcame unfavourable factors such as a significant decline in TC and the shutdown of the old facilities of Xinan Copper, and maintained a stable operating situation. The company produced 1.206 million mt of copper cathode, 12.71 mt of gold, 348.99 mt of silver, and 4.8286 million mt of sulphuric acid throughout the year. As of year-end 2024, its total assets amounted to 43.557 billion yuan, with an asset-liability ratio of 57.66%. It achieved operating revenue of 178.012 billion yuan, total profit of 2.316 billion yuan, net profit attributable to the publicly listed firm of 1.265 billion yuan, and basic earnings per share of 0.6312 yuan. The company intends to distribute a cash dividend of 2.4 yuan (tax included) for every 10 shares to all shareholders, without converting capital reserves into share capital. What is the construction progress of the relocation project of the Xinan Copper Branch previously announced by the company? Yunnan Copper previously responded during an institutional survey: The electrolysis system of the upgrade and renovation project for the relocation of Xinan Copper was commissioned with load at the end of June 2024, and the pyrometallurgy system entered the load commissioning phase in mid-October 2024, successfully producing copper anodes. As of now, the overall project for the relocation and upgrade of Xinan Copper has been fully completed and is currently in the load commissioning phase. This project is conducive to optimizing the company's smelting layout and production processes, achieving efficient comprehensive utilisation of resources, reducing production costs, and enhancing the company's overall competitiveness, aligning with the company's development needs for green, low-carbon, large-scale, short-process, low-cost, and digital intelligence. When asked about the company's progress in resource acquisition in 2024, Yunnan Copper previously responded during an institutional survey: The company attaches great importance to the replacement of mine resources, increasing capital investment to carry out comprehensive geological studies of various mining areas and exploration work in the deep and peripheral parts of mines. In 2024, the company invested 65 million yuan in exploration, conducting multiple mineral exploration activities and exploration work in the deep and peripheral parts of mines, adding 91,800 mt of inferred and above copper metal resources, achieving the annual target, and achieving annual reserve increases greater than mine production and consumption for four consecutive years. As of the end of 2024, the company held 964 million mt of copper ore resources, with a copper metal content of 3.6509 million mt and an average copper grade of 0.38%. Among them, Diqing Nonferrous held 846 million mt of copper ore resources, with a copper metal content of 2.8037 million mt and an average copper grade of 0.33%. When analyzing the company's core competitiveness, Yunnan Copper mentioned that its good resource reserves are one of its core competitiveness factors: The company attaches great importance to the replacement of mine resources, increasing capital investment to carry out comprehensive geological studies of various mining areas and exploration work in the deep and peripheral parts of mines. The company's main mines, including the Pulang Copper Mine, Dahongshan Copper Mine, and Yangla Copper Mine, are mainly distributed in the Sanjiang Metallogenic Belt, with favourable metallogenic geological conditions and potential for further prospecting. In 2024, the company invested 65 million yuan in exploration, conducting multiple mineral exploration activities and exploration work in the deep and peripheral parts of mines, adding 91,800 mt of inferred and above copper metal resources, achieving the annual target, and achieving annual reserve increases greater than mine production and consumption for four consecutive years. As of the end of 2024, the company held 964 million mt of copper ore resources, with a copper metal content of 3.6509 million mt and an average copper grade of 0.38%. Among them, Diqing Nonferrous held 846 million mt of copper ore resources, with a copper metal content of 2.8037 million mt and an average copper grade of 0.33%. The 2025 financial budget plan disclosed by Yunnan Copper in its 2024 annual report indicates the following production plans for the company's main products in 2025: The company expects to produce 54,600 mt of copper in copper concentrates, 1.52 million mt of copper cathode, 16 mt of gold, 680 mt of silver, and 5.364 million mt of sulphuric acid throughout the year. The investment plan for 2025 is 1.617 billion yuan, covering fixed asset investments, digital projects, and geological exploration projects. During a survey, Yunnan Copper stated that in Q1 this year, the average price of sulphuric acid in major regions increased significantly YoY. The company actively seized market opportunities, contributing positively to its performance. 》Click to view SMM spot copper prices 》Subscribe to view historical SMM spot metal price trends Reviewing the sulphuric acid price trend in Q1, it can be seen that: In Q1, both domestic and overseas demand was strong, leading to an increase in the price of smelting acid. As of March 28 (week), the average weekly price of smelting acid (sulphuric acid) in Yunnan was 780 yuan/mt, up 280 yuan/mt from the average weekly price of 500 yuan/mt on December 27, 2024 (week). From the perspective of the average price increase, the Q1 increase was 56%. According to SMM, domestically, in Q1, sulphuric acid prices were supported by "spring ploughing" and the cost of raw materials. Overseas, demand was relatively strong in Q1, with export prices also rising to a relatively high level in recent years. After reaching a high average annual price of 780 yuan/mt, with the end of spring ploughing, the operating rates of downstream fertilizer enterprises declined, and domestic demand weakened. Domestic sulphuric acid prices began to weaken from mid-to-late April. In early May, influenced by the end of the spring ploughing season, sulphuric acid prices in many parts of the country were still in the process of pulling back, with significant declines particularly in the south China market, while prices in the northern market remained relatively stable overall. In mid-May, domestic sulphuric acid prices showed mixed performance, mainly due to the continuous release of fertilizer export information and the gradual implementation of related policies, leading to a gradual rebound in downstream demand. Sulphuric acid prices in the south stopped falling and stabilized. After entering late May, sulphuric acid prices in many parts of the country rose again. Since June, sulphuric acid prices in Yunnan have remained stable at the beginning of the month. However, recently, influenced by the escalating geopolitical conflicts and the resulting uncertainties, domestic sulphur and sulphuric acid prices have both risen significantly in the past week, with sulphuric acid prices showing a 15.38% increase in the week ending June 13, with its average price (as of the week ending June 13) rising to 600 yuan/mt.

On June 11 (Wednesday), Alejandro Sanhueza, the Chief Financial Officer of Codelco, the world's largest copper producer based in Chile, stated that the company would focus more on public-private partnerships (PPPs) to improve its financial position and enhance its ability to develop new projects, all aimed at increasing production. During the energy transition, global demand for copper and lithium has been growing, leading to a surge in demand. Codelco has been struggling to increase its production after hitting a 25-year low in 2023. The decline in production is partly due to falling ore grades and delays in key mine transformation projects. His remarks represent the strongest indication yet that the state-owned enterprise will focus on seeking support from the private sector to boost growth. Sanhueza said that PPPs would serve as "pillars of growth" rather than being used for major overhaul projects or any existing operations, in compliance with the company's nationalization regulations, which prohibit its mines from accepting private funding. "Greenfield initiatives (new projects) are a key part of our growth strategy and an opportunity to collaborate with third parties. This will also help diversify risks," Sanhueza said. "Our exploration partnerships allow us to attract external financing and (production) capabilities, enabling us to accelerate value creation by leveraging the additional resources available to Codelco." In addition to its recent lithium joint venture, Codelco has also reached agreements with Rio Tinto and BHP to explore new potential copper mines, which sources say are promising. Codelco already has a partnership with Freeport-McMoRan at the El Abra mine and owns a one-fifth stake in Anglo American. This year, it also acquired a 10% stake in the Quebrada Blanca resource from smaller company Enami. Sanhueza said another goal is to establish joint infrastructure to facilitate the adoption of new technologies or minimize environmental impact. Earlier this year, Codelco announced an agreement to jointly operate an adjacent copper mine with Anglo American. The company said it would increase production by 120,000 mt per year over 21 years. The company is also strengthening its exploration budget, which averaged $83 million annually in 2023 and 2024 and will increase to an average of $150 million per year from 2025 to 2029. "Collaboration with third parties allows us to better utilize these resources, which complement our own projects," Sanhueza said.

Recently, Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "Freeport"), the largest copper producer in North America, stated that despite US President Trump's earlier claim that the copper tariffs he threatened to impose could support the US copper industry, the actual outcome might be counterproductive—tariffs could impact the economy, leading to a decline in copper demand, which would in turn be detrimental to the industry. Broad tariffs may instead dampen copper demand In recent times, US President Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on copper to drive the recovery of domestic industries. In late February this year, Trump instructed the US Secretary of Commerce to launch an investigation into foreign copper imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act and submit a report within 270 days. As the largest copper producer in North America, the imposition of tariffs on copper imports by the US should have been a positive development for Freeport, as the company could profit by selling copper at a premium. However, the company's CEO has warned that tariffs could also have a negative impact on the company. "If global economic growth is hindered, it could impact copper prices," Kathleen Quirk, CEO of Freeport, said in an interview. "Ironically, if we try to build up the US copper industry, slower GDP growth and inflation could put significant pressure on copper mines here." Quirk claimed that the US copper industry is currently in a turbulent period. As many industries and applications, including automotive, consumer electronics, and residential construction, are highly dependent on copper, copper tariffs could impose high costs on various sectors of the US economy. Copper tariffs have both positive and negative implications for the company Under Trump's tariff threats, US copper prices have been pushed higher than those in other markets. Currently, copper prices on the Comex are about 9.3% higher than those on the London Metal Exchange (LME), providing traders and producers with greater incentive to continue shifting supplies to the US before potential copper tariffs take effect. In April this year, the premium for copper on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) relative to the LME even reached 13% at one point. At that time, Freeport claimed that such a level was equivalent to a financial benefit of approximately $800 million per year from its copper sales. Freeport owns seven open-pit mines and one smelter in the US, which means it produces about 70% of the refined copper in the country. Quirk stated, "We do benefit from copper tariffs because they raise the price of our copper in the US domestic market... but if there are hefty tariffs and a trade war, we will be concerned about global demand for copper." Quark stated that she maintains a "neutral" stance on copper tariff policies, believing that copper import tariffs have both advantages and disadvantages for her. She noted that Freeport also has copper production sites in Indonesia, Spain, Peru, and Chile, and that tariff-driven trade wars could harm market demand for copper. Compared to tariffs, Freeport has called on the Trump administration to adopt other incentives to promote copper mining in the US, such as the tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act—a benefit that US lithium and nickel miners are already eligible for. "The cost structure in the US is higher than globally," Quark said. "Therefore, if you want to protect this industry, you need to consider how to incentivize it."