The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange advanced 0.36 percent to 44,860 yuan ($6,496) a tonne on Wednesday amid ongoing concerns over rising supply and disappointing Chinese import data.
The pullback in China's imports in April of crude oil and major bulk commodities, except coal, is more of a reminder that strong gains can't last forever than a warning that demand is waning in the world's biggest importer of natural resources.
The benchmark London Metal Exchange contract stayed mostly in positive territory before succumbing to a wave of selling in the afternoon, traders said.