Copper imports from Chile, the top supplier of the metal to the United States, do not threaten U.S. security interests, the Chilean government said in a letter to President Donald Trump's administration,

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Copper imports from Chile, the top supplier of the metal to the United States, do not threaten U.S. security interests, the Chilean government said in a letter to President Donald Trump's administration, which is considering tariffs on the metal needed for electric vehicles and myriad industrial uses.

In a letter dated March 31 to the US Commerce Department, the Chilean government defined its anti-tariff position, emphasising the importance of trade relations between the two countries. This correspondence was recently made public on a US federal website,