September 09, 2007	Sunday	Sha'aban 26, 1428

HONG KONG, Sept 8: Chinese copper consumers may soon be tempted to buy cheaper material available on the international market, but a slow start to the peak demand season could scuttle those plans and drag domestic prices lower.

Copper users in China, the world’s top consumer of the metal, normally ramp up production from September.

But traders said demand for spot metal this week had not increased much in Shanghai, the country’s copper retailing base.

If demand does not pick up in the next few weeks domestic prices could fall and some material booked for spot imports may be delayed or diverted for sale on the LME.—Reuters