The US cannot win a military war against China. By the same token, China cannot win a trade war with the USA under the present circumstances. In addition to the fact that the nation with the trade surplus is the one with the weaker hand in a trade war, there is the situation regarding China being the leading holder of US debt.
And as J. Paul Getty is believed to have said: “If you owe the bank $100 that’s your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that’s the bank’s problem.”
In any event, here are the retaliatory measures reportedly being contemplated by China in response to the 104 percent tariffs imposed by the US government.
1) Retaliatory Tariff increases on U.S. Agricultural Products including Soybeans and Sorghum.
Whoop-de-damn doo. No one cares about the profitability of Big Agriculture. Feed it to the cattle.
2) Banning import of U.S. Poultry into China
Whoop-de-damn two. No one cares about the profitability of Big Agriculture. Lower prices on rotisserie chicken and at KFC are not things that fall into the problem category for Americans.
3) Suspending Sino-U.S. cooperation on Fentanyl-related issues
Whoop-de-damn three. There is nothing the Chinese can do, or should be expected to do, to stop Americans from taking illegal drugs.
4) Countermeasures in the Service related Sector
China already erected The Great Firewall. That card has been played.
5) Banning the import of US Films into China
Feature, not a bug. Burn Hollywood, burn.
6) Investigating the Intellectual Property Benefits of US Companies operating in China
It’s hard to threaten IP rights when there has never been any respect shown for them from the start.
China has already raised tariffs on US imports to 84 percent, which will effect pretty much zero Americans in any way, shape, or form.
That is a weak, weak hand that is arguably net beneficial to the USA. Frankly, I don’t see what China can do on the trade front that might even have the hope of accomplishing anything, although obviously it could choose to escalate to proxy military conflict in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the South China Sea.
It would be better to follow the lead of many smaller nations, refuse to retaliate, and accept President Trump’s invitation to negotiate for better terms. Because this really isn’t something that the USA can afford to back down on.