Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine and highlighted the need to engage with China to address global challenges as they closed their meetings in Japan on Tuesday.

While noting the importance of working with China on issues such as climate change and global health security, the ministers expressed concerns in a joint communique about China’s actions in the East and South China Seas and its stance toward Taiwan.

“We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element in security and prosperity in the international community, and call for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues,” the ministers said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the talks with his counterparts from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan there was “remarkable convergence” regarding concerns about China and what is being done to address those concerns.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters that the G-7 communique grossly interfered with China’s internal affairs and maliciously slandered the country.

Blinken told reporters that regarding stalled U.S.-China discussions, the United States believes “that having lines of communication, being able to engage across the broad rand of issues that animate the relationship is important.”

“My expectation would be that we will be able to move forward on that, but it does require China to make clear its own intentions in doing that,” Blinken said.

The G-7 ministers said in their communique they are committed to “intensifying sanctions against Russia,” while also coordinating to make sure Russia and others do not evade those measures. They also warned Russia against the use of nuclear or chemical weapons and condemned Russia’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

“Russia must withdraw all forces and equipment from Ukraine immediately and unconditionally,” the ministers said. “We recommitted today to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes and to providing sustained security, economic, and institutional support to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression.”

Blinken said G-7 members will “remind the world who is the aggressor and who is the victim” in the conflict that Russia started with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. He also said Russia is breaking its promises by blocking Ukraine’s grain exports from reaching areas of the world where they are badly needed.

Regarding Iran, the G-7 ministers expressed concern about what they called Iran’s “continued destabilizing activities,” and called on Iran to stop supplying drones to Russian forces who have been using them to carry out attacks in Ukraine.

“We remain deeply concerned about Iran’s unabated escalation of its nuclear program, which has no credible civilian justification and brings it dangerously close to actual weapon-related activities,” the ministers said as they called on Iran to fulfill its nuclear non-proliferation commitments.

The G-7 ministers also said they have concerns about Afghanistan and the country’s Talban leaders, saying they “condemn the Taliban’s systematic abuses of human rights of women and girls and discrimination against the members of religious and ethnic minorities.” [VOA/JS]