If another person starts banging their fist in your face, you do not magically become better if you start banging your fist in their face. In the short run your hand will hurt and it won't make your face better, but in the long run it might prevent them from continuing to bang their fist into your face.<p>Similarly, in the short run, cutting off china will hurt economically (both our people and theirs). In the long run, if it causes them to open up, it will probably benefit us and their people (though not necessarily their leadership).