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.

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,

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,