Putting aside the exaggerated and unrealistic fears of a "hot war" over this issue, examine the possible actions and retaliations that China could impose, but look at it from the American perspective.

China sells more to the US, than the other way around.

China leverages off of American technology and cultural commerce,(a polite way of saying it steals), not the other way around.

In every field of technology,  commerce and trade, and jobs, the Chinese need the Americans much more than the Americans need the Chinese.

Which leaves the often talked about "balance of payments" threat - the Chinese have invested and loaned trillions in and to the US. What if they stopped loaning, and called those debts?

Well, this quote from the 1930's might be instructive here: " When you owe the bank a thousand dollars, you have a problem. When you owe the bank a million dollars, the bank has a problem."

In the case at hand, who, really, has the worse problem?