BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Yunnan Copper Co., China's third-largest copper producer, is thinking of acquiring a copper mine in Kazakhstan next year, China Daily reported Tuesday.

    The company is also considering investing in Southeast and South Asian countries including Laos and Indonesia, the newspaper said, quoting the company's general manager Yang Chao.

    Besides investment in the overseas market, the copper producer is also scouting for more copper reserves in the Inner Mongolia and Tibet autonomous regions. The company's copper reserves would touch 9 million tonnes by 2012, according to Yang.

    He predicted that copper prices might even surpass 70,000 yuan (10,294 U.S. dollars) per tonne in 2010, although prices are likely to remain volatile over the next year, and copper demand will increase next year

    Copper is widely used in home appliances, wires and cables; it can also be used in water pipes, largely increasing the need for copper in the future, Yang said.

Special Report:  Global Financial Crisis