Platinum set for biggest deficit in a decade in 2024, says Johnson Matthey

US gold futures, meanwhile, crossed the $2,300 mark, up 1.4% at $2,313.60 per ounce.

SQM and Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting, already Azure's two largest shareholders, teamed up in December to buy the lithium developer.

Teck has agreed to pay Korea Zinc $165 per metric ton, a three-year low, to turn its zinc concentrate into refined metal.

Iron ore’s weakness comes amid tentative signs that the wider economy is beginning to heal.

Demand is being driven by strong central bank buying, with developing nations in particular stocking up on bullion as insurance.

A host of positive drivers have pushed up bullion by around 14% since the middle of February.

The talks included topics such as the potential for state-run Jiangxi Copper to gain influence on First Quantum's board decisions.

Century Aluminum's proposed low-carbon facility represents the first primary aluminum smelter in the US in 45 years.

The United States continues to work with Zambia and Congo on mining and regulatory structures.