SHANGHAI: China's November imports of unwrought copper and semi-finished copper products are expected to be flat, or fall slightly from the previous month, limited by strong London Metal Exchange (LME) prices and abundant domestic supplies.

Imports of refined copper, the most popular type of copper in international and Chinese markets, dived 40 percent to 169,374 tons in October from the previous month, much lower than the 230,000 tons expected by traders and analysts, thanks to delays in contracted shipments.

"Imports are unlikely to recover in November, given poor margins throughout the month," said Zhu Yanzhong, an analyst at Jinrui Futures, a subsidiary of top smelter Jiangxi Copper.