China copper concentrate imports drop in September on Freeport Indonesia halt

SHANGHAI, Oct 13 (Reuters) - China’s imports of copper concentrate dropped 6.2% in September, reversing two months of growth, as exports from Freeport Indonesia's massive Grasberg mine fell following a mud slide and the expiry of its export license.

Copper concentrate imports, which go into smelters, slid to 2.59 million metric tons in September from 2.76 million tons a month earlier, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Monday.

Freeport-McMoRan's FCX.N copper concentrate export license from Indonesia expired on September 16 after a 6-month extension, leading to a drop in shipments from the country.

The company had stepped up exports from Indonesia in August ahead of the expiration of its export license, leading to a surge in Chinese imports that month. As a result, traders said it was no surprise imports fell in September.

In a further hit to exports from Indonesia, the miner declared force majeure on September 25 at its flagship Grasberg mine due to a deadly mud flow earlier in the month that killed seven, cutting shipments from the world's second biggest copper mine.

For the year through September, China imported 22.63 million tons of copper concentrate, up 7.7% from 21.02 million tons during the corresponding period last year.

Imports of copper increased 14.12% in September to 485,000 tons in September, the data showed.

Unwrought copper and copper product imports into China, the world's largest consumer and producer, include anodes, refined metal, alloys and semi-finished copper products.