Huaxin Securities·2025-06-20 09:19Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Recommended" investment rating for the copper industry [9]. Core Insights - The report highlights that the production growth of overseas large copper mining companies is low, and there are frequent disruptions. The lack of new large copper mining projects in the coming years will continue to constrain copper supply [9]. Summary by Sections 1. Copper Production in Major Producing Countries - Chile's copper production from January to April 2025 reached 1.752 million metric tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.57% (+60,300 tons). The growth is primarily driven by the Escondida project due to higher mining intensity and improved ore grades. Peru's copper production during the same period was 892,000 metric tons, up 5.59% (+47,200 tons), with significant contributions from the Las Bambas and Toromocho mines [4][18]. 2. Overseas Copper Mining Companies' Production - The total copper production of 15 major copper mining companies in Q1 2025 was 3.012 million tons, a slight increase of 0.1% (+3,000 tons). However, excluding three Chinese companies, the production of 12 overseas companies fell by 3.79% (-96,100 tons) to 2.436 million tons. Notably, Freeport and Glencore experienced significant declines of 20% and 29.95%, respectively [5][9]. 3. Growth in Chinese Copper Mining Companies - Three Chinese companies reported substantial production increases in Q1 2025: Minmetals Resources (+76.1%), Zijin Mining (+9.5%), and Luoyang Molybdenum (+15.7%). The growth for Minmetals was largely attributed to the Las Bambas mine in Peru, which produced 95,700 tons, a year-on-year increase of 70.9% (+39,700 tons) [7]. 4. Future Project Developments - The report notes a scarcity of new or expanded copper mining projects. The Salvador project by Codelco is currently ramping up production, while First Quantum's Kansanshi expansion is expected to contribute additional capacity starting in H2 2025. Other long-term projects include Rio Tinto's Oyu Tolgoi and Antofagasta's Centinela Phase II, with expected production increases in the coming years [8]. 5. Production Summary of Major Companies - Codelco's Q1 2025 production was 324,000 tons, a slight increase of 1.6% year-on-year. BHP's total production was 513,200 tons, up 10.18%, primarily due to the Escondida mine. Freeport's production fell to 393,720 tons, down 20% year-on-year, while Glencore's production dropped to 167,900 tons, a decrease of 29.95% [47][54][60][69].