* No talks between Trump, Xi before March trade deadline

* Speculators target zinc after breaches key technical level

* GRAPHIC-2019 asset returns: http://tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl

(Adds technicals on lead, updates prices)

By Eric Onstad

LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Zinc slumped to a two-week lowand other industrial metals also fell as speculators sold inresponse to concerns about U.S.-China trade talks and globalgrowth.

China expressed anger on Monday at a U.S. Navy missionthrough the disputed South China Sea after U.S. President DonaldTrump said last week he did not plan to meet with ChinesePresident Xi Jinping before a March 1 deadline for a trade deal. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N20614C

Chinese investors, returning after a week-long nationalholiday, seemed to focus more on downbeat news than optimismChina expressed on Monday about a new round of trade talks withthe United States.

"You had seen quite a run-up in base metals prices, withlots of positivity on the trade negotiations, and now thatballoon seems to have been punctured somewhat," said RossStrachan, senior commodities economist at Capital Economics inLondon.

"There seems to be more realisation that trying to get apermanent long-term deal between those two parties is extremelydifficult to imagine."

Benchmark zinc CMZN3 on the London Metal Exchange had shotup nearly a fifth in the month to Feb. 5, when it touched aseven-month peak of $2,810 a tonne.

But since then it has slipped 6 percent and was the biggestLME decliner on Monday, down 2.4 percent to $2,640 a tonne by1500 GMT. Earlier it touched $2,631, the lowest since Jan. 25.

* ZINC STOCKS: Investors apparently brushed off news thatLME zinc inventories MZNSTX-TOTAL have eroded further to afresh low since January 2008.

* ZINC TECHNICALS: Zinc attracted additional selling due toa weak chart picture, Matt France at broker Marex Spectron inSingapore said in a note. "Zinc looks most vulnerabletechnically as it has breached the 200-day moving average at$2,660."

* COPPER: Three month LME copper CMCU3 shed 1.1 percent to$6,142 a tonne after Chilean state miner Codelco said onSaturday it hoped to soon restart operations at its Chuquicamatacopper mine. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2040A0

* LEAD: LME lead CMPB3 gave up 0.9 percent to a two-weeklow of $2,061 a tonne.

A pullback in lead is expected to be short-lived, StphanieAymes, head of technical analysis at Societe Generale, said in anote. "Once a move beyond $2,132/35 takes shape, lead willextend the recovery towards $2,185 and perhaps even towards theMay 2018 trough at $2,241/28."

* DOLLAR: Also weighing on metals was a stronger dollar,making dollar-denominated metals more expensive for holders ofother currencies. FRX/

* PRICES: Aluminium CMAL3 dropped 0.9 percent to $1,864 atonne, nickel CMNI3 fell 1 percent to $12,445 a tonne and tin CMSN3 declined 0.4 percent to $20,970.

* For the top stories in metals and other news, click TOP/MTL or MET/L

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Top Base and Precious Metals Analysis - GFMS http://tmsnrt.rs/2lvmIzW

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz in Manila and Muyu Xuin Beijing. Editing by Louise Heavens and David Evans) ((eric.onstad@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 7093; Twitter https://twitter.com/reutersEricO ; Reuters Messaging: eric.onstad.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))