It's difficult for me to picture the US and China entering into a full-scale war, primarily because of the deep financial interdependencies between them. China holds a substantial amount of US debt and, in practice, tends to view this more as a long-term investment rather than expecting immediate repayment. A military conflict would not only jeopardize this financial relationship but also risk significant economic fallout. Essentially, China has the leverage to dramatically impact the US defense budget, making a major conflict between the two countries a less likely scenario given these economic realities.