When China applies tariffs against the US, the result is that China imports the goods it needs from other countries. For example, now that US soy is prohibitively expensive for Chinese importers, they can buy from Brazil (who China is not applying the same tariffs against).
In the case of the US, the US importers cannot switch to anyone else, since it decided to go full trade war against every single country.
I'm not following. If China buys soy from Brazil instead of the US, and the US imports the same amount overall from China in either case, then doesn't that increase China's trade surplus with the US?
When China applies tariffs against the US, the result is that China imports the goods it needs from other countries. For example, now that US soy is prohibitively expensive for Chinese importers, they can buy from Brazil (who China is not applying the same tariffs against).
In the case of the US, the US importers cannot switch to anyone else, since it decided to go full trade war against every single country.