Shanghai's most-active copper futures contract fell 1.9 percent to 69,720 yuan a tonne on Tuesday. China's factory expansion stabilised in April, with the HSBC flash manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) at 51.8 in April, unchanged from the final reading in March.
The sub-index of input prices fell to 63.1 in April, an eight-month-low but still indicating persistent price rises - an area of particular concern for Beijing, which has steadily tightened monetary conditions for about a year.