The US has a far better and more deadly option than resorting to war.  The US Dollar is the US sovereign currency.  If the US simply prohibited any company anywhere in the world from buying anything from or selling anything to China is US Dollar demoniated transactions and banned the use of any aspect of the US financial system for transactions with China, China's economy would be cut off at its knees.  It would obviously mean the US would have to embargo all trade with China but that seems to be the trend over the long term anyway.  Cutting China off from use of the US Dollar would impede their trade around the world and in a very big way.