UPDATE - G-7 calls for direct dialogue with China

UPDATES WITH CHANGES HEADER, DECK, LEDE AND REMARKS FROM JAPAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) – The top diplomats of G-7 member nations Wednesday called for direct dialogue with China.

After a two-day summit of the G-7 foreign ministers in Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said the G-7 countries "recognize the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China.”

They acknowledge “the need to work together with China on global challenges as well as areas of common interest,” she said, according to a statement by Japan's Foreign Ministry.

The Tokyo summit came as Israel launched indiscriminate attacks on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank.

The G-7 top diplomats are expected to call for a pause in the Israel-Hamas war to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, Japanese media reported.

The G-7 top diplomats also vowed to continue their “steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine.”

*Islamuddin Sajid contributed to the story from Pakistan