President Donald Trump "did the right thing" by canceling the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because "it was clear the North Koreans didn't want to meet," author and China expert Gordon Chang told Newsmax TV on Thursday.
In an interview on "Newsmax Now," Chang charged China's President Xi Jinping "put" Kim "up to this."
"President Trump did the right thing because when [North Korean officials] stood up the U.S. negotiating team . . . it was clear the North Koreans didn't want to meet," he said.
"We know that the Chinese have been busting U.N. sanctions and their attitude over the last couple months has really deteriorated on this," Chang said, adding: "Xi Jinping put him up to this. Something had to be done and it's good the president did it."
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Chang also asserted the United States needs to get tough with China, and "there's a number of trade levers" he can and should use.
"We have a lot of tools," he said. "President Trump has been reluctant to use those tools. But I think Beijing is forcing his hand, and we will see a much more resolute president."
"But the more important thing is that we start to sanction Chinese banks for money laundering," he said. "This is a violation of U.S. law . . . abusing the financial system . . . We can unplug them from the global financial system. The shock would not be really as great as if we had a war."
Chang is author of "Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World."
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