MELBOURNE, March 14 (Reuters) - London copper prices climbed on Wednesday on better-than-expected Chinese industrial production figures for the start of the year, but concerns about an escalation in U.S. trade tariffs capped gains. China's industrial output expanded faster than expected at
the start of the year, suggesting the world's second-biggest economy has sustained solid momentum despite a crackdown on
polluting industries and a campaign to reduce risks in the financial system. "On the face of it, (the China data) looked fairly positive
for me. The fixed asset investment was obviously much better than expected and also the property investment as well," said
analyst Daniel Hynes of ANZ in Sydney. "For the moment, this cloud around the trade issues is going to weigh on sentiment." FUNDAMENTALS:
* LONDON COPPER: London Metal Exchange copper cutearly losses to trade up 0.7 percent at $6,990 a tonne by 0702
GMT, adding to a 0.5-percent gain in the previous session, when prices edged up as the dollar fell. LME copper dipped to its
lowest in a month at $6,777 a tonne last week. * SHANGHAI COPPER: Shanghai Futures Exchange copper climbed by 0.8 percent to 52,330 yuan ($8,283) a tonne.
* U.S. TARIFFS: U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports and will
target the technology and telecommunications sectors, two people who had discussed the issue with the Trump administration said
on Tuesday. * ALUMINIUM: China's aluminium production fell 1.8 percent in January-February from a year earlier, data showed on
Wednesday, as the country's pollution crackdown and supply-side reform kicked in even as new smelters are due to come onstream
this year. * ALUMINIUM PREMIUMS: Tariffs on aluminium imports to the United States that will begin from next week have boosted U.S.
aluminium premiums. Premiums have almost doubled to 19 cents per pound from 10 cents in late January. * DEMAND: Japan's core machinery orders rebounded in January
from a steep decline the previous month, handily beating expectations in a sign that capital spending will continue contributing to economic growth.
* COPPER MINING: For years Rio Tinto has been the sole international copper mine operator in Mongolia, bound closely to
a country where it has bet billions of dollars on the giant Oyu Tolgoi project. That is changing as a bunch of smaller players
raise their exploration in the country.
