Rio Tinto says China virus slowing copper ore imports from Mongolia
Published by
ScrapPrices
Published on February 13,2020 01:31 AM Metals
Rio Tinto, operator of the giant Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in Mongolia, said its copper concentrate shipments to China had slowed due to efforts by the authorities to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Rio Tinto says China virus slowing copper ore imports from Mongolia

BEIJING (Reuters) - Rio Tinto, operator of the giant Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in Mongolia, said its copper concentrate shipments to China had slowed due to efforts by the authorities to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

“We have advised customers that we are engaging with authorities who are working on re-establishing regular and safe border crossings,” a spokesman for the miner said in an email on Wednesday.

The virus outbreak that began in China and prompted a lockdown that has weighed on the Chinese economy has sparked concerns about metals demand in the world’s top copper consumer.

Transport restrictions have been imposed to stop the spread of the virus.

Mongolia said on Monday it would suspend deliveries of coal across its border into China until March 2 and had already stopped foreign nationals entering via China.

Yunnan Copper , part of state-owned Chinese metals group Chinalco, takes almost 10,000 tonnes a month of copper concentrate, or partially processed copper ore, from Oyu Tolgoi for its Chifeng smelter in China’s Inner Mongolia region, a source at the company said.

Like other Chinese smelters, Yunnan Copper is struggling with high inventories of byproduct sulphuric acid amid the virus lockdown and has cut copper output at the 400,000 tonnes per year Chifeng plant by 30%, said the source, who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak to media.

The source said Yunnan Copper was currently unable to take concentrate from the Mongolian border to the plant via truck but the situation is “getting better”.

Yunnan Copper did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MORE METALS NEWS
July 16,2025 07:00 AM
In the second quarter of 2025, mining company Rio Tinto achieved its highest level of iron ore production in Australia’s Pilbara region since 2018. Total production amounted to 83.7 million tons, which is 20% more than in the previous quarter and 5% more year-on-year. This is stated in Rio Tinto’s quarterly report.
July 15,2025 12:00 PM
The U.S. Department of Defense plans to continue working with rare earths companies to ensure diverse American supply of the critical minerals used across the economy, a defense official told Reuters on Tuesday.
July 14,2025 07:00 AM
U.S. efforts to break China's dominance of the rare earths market and to drive investment in its own industry have moved up a gear with a Washington-backed plan to create a separate, higher pricing system.