Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was down 1% at $8,897 a tonne by 0905 GMT, while the most-traded April copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange edged down 0.1% at 69,310 yuan ($10,011.70) a tonne. China set a modest growth target of around 5%, the low end of expectations which had ranged as high as 6%, and also below last year's target of around 5.5%. "The target... is generally neutral," said Jinrui Futures in a note. Consumption of the metal in China is also still restricted in the short term by high prices, it said. Signs of easing supply disruptions in Panama, where Canada's First Quantum Minerals has been locked in a prolonged contract dispute with the government over its Cobre Panama mine, also pressured copper prices. Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo said on Friday talks between his government and First Quantum were in the final stretch, with only one point still to be resolved. "We expect that First Quantum and Panama's government are incentivised to reach a resolution in the near term, given how significant the mine is to Panama's economy," said CRU analyst Craig Lang. In Peru, Andean communities will resume a blockade of a crucial highway used by major copper producers next week, two local leaders said on Saturday, following a truce that had allowed mining companies to restart production. Copper supply disruption in Peru, the world's second-biggest producer of mined copper, has been cushioning falls in price, albeit to a modest degree. LME aluminium fell 1.3% to $2,373.50 a tonne, zinc lost 1.5% to $3,032.50 a tonne, tin decreased 1% to $24,500 a tonne, and lead edged up 0.7% at $2,134 a tonne. SHFE aluminium shed 0.4% to 18,590 yuan a tonne, tin lost 0.2% to 199,650 yuan a tonne, while nickel rose 1.1% to 188,620 yuan a tonne and lead advanced 0.1% to 15,285 yuan a tonne. For the top stories in metals and other news, click or ($1 = 6.9229 yuan) (Reporting by Mai Nguyen in Hanoi; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips, Sonia Cheema and Jan Harvey)
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