China’s copper buyers are asking Chilean miners to delay shipments due to port shutdowns, adding to tumult in global commodity trade in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
While the suppliers haven’t reported any contract breaches, they have verbally agreed with clients to reschedule some deliveries, according to Victor Garay, market coordinator for Cochilco, the copper commission in Chile — the world’s biggest miner of the metal.
“Just like airlines don’t want to go to China, ocean freight companies don’t want to either,” Garay said in an interview Wednesday.