Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group, China’s largest copper smelter, plans to raise production by 23 per cent in 2009 to 800,000 tonnes, according to analyst Yang Changhua at state-owned metals consultancy Antaike.

At the start of this year, a Tongling official told Dow Jones that the smelter planned to cut its 2009 output. The apparent change in policy indicates that Tongling believes relatively tight domestic copper cathode supplies will sustain prices, despite weak demand.

Tongling is a Yangtze port city in Anhui province, situated about 80km west of Wuhu.