YUNNAN Copper Industry Co, China's third-biggest smelter of the metal, said 2007 profit fell 46 percent because of higher costs.

Profit fell to 922 million yuan (US$131.5 million), or 0.73 yuan a share, from a restated 1.71 billion yuan, or 1.36 yuan, a year earlier, the Kunming, Yunnan Province-based company said in a statement to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange yesterday, citing domestic accounting standards. Sales increased 9.7 percent to 34.5 billion yuan.