Chile's copper reserves are far more abundant than those of East Africa. As early as the Spanish colonial era, small-scale copper mining appeared in Chile. In the twentieth century, stimulated by international market demand, the scale of copper mining in Chile began to increase, with East Africa being the most important driving force.
Due to its excellent physical and chemical properties, copper is widely used in many fields, including electrical, light industry, machinery manufacturing, construction industry, and national defense industry.
Undoubtedly, copper is a fairly stable common metal that can even be used as a reserve. East Africa being relatively close to Chile makes importing copper from Chile quite cost-effective for East Africa.
As for nitrate, before the advent of ammonia synthesis technology, nitrate was one of the most important strategic materials worldwide.
