Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, will begin trade talks in Washington on Thursday, the first minister-level negotiations in several months.
Most base metals prices have been under pressure amid worries over global economic growth and demand for industrial metals as the U.S.-China trade war rumbles on.
"Can something happen? I guess, maybe. Who knows. But I think it's probably unlikely," U.S. President Donald Trump said, when asked about the chances of progress at this week's trade talks.
The chances of a resolution in the prolonged trade dispute dimmed further after Washington blacklisted some Chinese companies.
FUNDAMENTALS
LME COPPER: Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) fell as much as 0.3pc in early trade but was trading up 0.3pc at $5,737.50 a tonne as of 0722 GMT.
CHILE: August production by copper miner Codelco rose 9.3pc year-on-year to 154,700 tonnes, while output fell 8.5pc year-on-year to 770,800 tonnes at BHP's Escondida mine.
Output rose 0.5pc year-on-year to 352,500 tonnes at Anglo American's and Glencore's Collahuasi in the same month, state copper commission Cochilco said on Monday.
CODELCO PREMIUM: Codelco has agreed its 2020 physical copper premium to European buyers at $98 a tonne, the same level as for 2019, copper industry sources said.
ANTOFAGASTA: Chile's Antofagasta has requested government mediation to resolve a contractual dispute with supervisors at its flagship Los Pelambres copper mine, the supervisors' union said.
NICKEL: Three-month LME nickel fell as much as 3.3pc to a one-week low of $17,135 a tonne, slipping for a second day after jumping 3.4pc last week amid a drawdown in stocks.
LME PRICES: LME aluminium fell 0.3pc and lead lost 0.6pc, while tin and zinc both eased 0.2pc.
SHFE: The most traded November copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange ended down 0.7pc on 46,770 yuan ($6,568.08) a tonne, while zinc fell 0.2pc, nickel was flat and lead ended up 1.5pc after hitting its earliest since Sept. 17.