Chile’s Finance Minister Mario Marcel said on Monday that the issue of U.S. copper tariffs is expected to be addressed during broader trade talks taking place in Washington this week.

Speaking to local radio station Duna, Marcel said Chile would push for any copper tariffs to be handled as part of a comprehensive trade agreement with the United States.

President Donald Trump’s administration has announced plans to impose a 50% tariff on copper imports starting August 1. Chile, the world's largest copper producer and the top supplier of refined copper to the U.S., exports much of its copper to China but still plays a key role in the U.S. market.

The latest discussions mark the third round of negotiations between Chilean officials and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office.

“We hope these talks in Washington will also cover the copper issue,” Marcel said. “It would make little sense for us to have a trade deal that leaves out more than half of our exports to the U.S., including copper and wood.”

When asked if Chile would request an exemption from the upcoming tariffs, Marcel said the aim was to address the matter within the framework of a wider trade deal, rather than as a separate issue.

“It’s a key topic for us, and we want it to be included in the main commercial discussions,” he said, adding that other countries have negotiated similar carve-outs in their trade agreements.

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