It’s simple.
War happens in Asia = the whole economy collapses here. Since we get all of our stuff from Japan, Taiwan, S. Korea and China, we are sunk when the shooting starts.
Complete opposite from WW1 and WW2 when we made everything we needed and it was the combatants that needed to buy from us. We got rich off of their slug match.
And we are still making some money. Well, at least our corporations are. A lot of factories in China were built with western knowhow and our experts. If a war started, the Chinese would lose access to a lot of that knowhow and spare parts. The problems go both ways if a war happened. Back in the 1930's, Japan was getting a lot of expertise and assistance from western nations. Mitsubishi planes (think Zeroes) had French experts in Japan working with the Japanese. That stopped with war, but the Japanese carried on okay. In a war, the Chinese will struggle and may falter.
1. War between China and Japan would last a day, assuming no US involvment. The JSDF is not the VPA. A study in the 80s said that the Russian army could take the Japanese Northern Islands in an afternoon.
2. China is owed money by the US.
3. Taiwan is not interested in war with China. If China tried to take the Island, the Island would be destroyed before the PLA would be able to take it.
4. War in the Middle East is almost a mathematical certainty, if not around the corner - The Romans named the third month March for a reason.
5. Politically, I do not think Kim Jeong Eun could start a war.
What "stuff"? Food? Yes, the stores are full of Chinese garlic and mushrooms. I seek out North American garlic and there is a mushroom farm 30 miles from me. Energy? Nope, not a watt, not a barrel.
So, what kind of "stuff" do we get from them? Weapons, nope, not yet. Cheap consumer electronics and other consumer goods. Do you mean to tell me we can't make that "stuff" here in North America?
The only "stuff" they have a monopoly on, and would hurt us is "rare earths". The government should be stockpiling rare earths right now, forget the SPI. Also, there is a mine in California that is used to produce rare earths. The deposits are still in the ground.
You can't tell me the country that built and deployed an atomic bomb FROM SCRATCH in 3 1/2 years couldn't reopen that mine and produce the required rare earth minerals in 30 days. The mine closed because of "environmental concerns". Faced with an existential threat, I think the US could bury the envirowackos in the tailing pit and get production going in 30 days.
Nothing personal, I just don't think they make anything we can't do without or make ourselves in jig time.