BEIJING/BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - China urged calm on Wednesday (Aug 9) after North Korea said it was considering plans for a missile strike on the US Pacific territory of Guam and President Donald Trump told the North that any threat to the United States would be met with "fire and fury".

China calls on all parties to avoid any words or actions that might escalate the situation and make even greater efforts to resolve the issue via talks, the ministry said in a statement sent to Reuters.

Germany meanwhile called on China and Russia to dissuade Pyongyang from pursuing policies that would lead to a military escalation on the Korean peninsula after North Korea said it was considering a missile strike on Guam.

"The goal of the German government is to avoid a further military escalation and to settle the conflict in the North Pacific peacefully," said government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer.

"China and Russia have a special responsibility to do everything they can to dissuade North Korea from a path of escalation," she added.

France, on its part, called on all the concerned parties to act responsibly and de-escalate the situation regarding North Korea.

"We call on all sides to act responsibly," government spokesman Christophe Castaner told reporters at a news briefing on Wednesday, adding that France was "preoccpied" by the situation.