Merkel hopes for G20 progress on U.S.-China trade dispute

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday she hoped the United States and China would make some progress towards defusing their trade dispute at the G20 meeting of leading economies in Japan. Germany's export-oriented economy is extremely exposed to, and already suffering from, the impact of soured trade relations between the world's largest and second-largest economies.

Merkel said in a statement at the summit in Osaka, Japan that she had discussed trade in her bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has taken to task both Beijing and Berlin, two of the world's main exporters, on the issue. "We hope that discussions between China and the U.S. on the margins of this conference will, along with other talks, perhaps lead to successes," she told reporters.

Before departing for Japan, Merkel was seen shaking during a public appearance on Thursday, her second such bout within two weeks, but her spokesman said she was in good health.