Shuikoushan in the central province of Hunan is one of the oldest mining complexes in China dating back to the 19th century.

"We still produce a small amount of copper," a company official told Reuters by telephone.

The rated annual capacity of Shuikoushan's copper production was 10,000 tonnes, but in recent years output has been a fraction of that level, industry sources said.

The company official declined to give an actual production figure.

An industry source in Beijing said the smelter had stopped producing copper last year. It halted production twice for a total of four months during that year.

"Shuikoushan is focusing primarily on zinc and lead production," he said.Its zinc production rose 13 percent to a record 22,500 tonnes in 1998, state media previously reported.

The State Bureau of Nonferrous Metals hasset a goal of closing scores of China's inefficient mines and smelters in an industry wide restructuring to focus on improved technology and economy of scale.