Merkel says China, U.S. can sway North Korea with political pressure

"I don't put my trust in military means, but rather in political pressure being exerted on North Korea from different sides," Merkel told the Funke media group in comments released on Thursday.

"If China and the United States do that together, it won't be without consequence," she added.

On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a peaceful resolution of rising tension on the Korean peninsula in a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, as a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group steamed toward the region.

(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Angus MacSwan)