It could raise the retaliatory tariffs that it imposed on American-made goods last autumn. When President Trump imposed his 10 percent tariffs, Beijing responded by imposing a range of tariffs, from 5 percent to 25 percent, on $60 billion a year of American goods. That covered about two-fifths of Chinese imports from the United States.

China could also revive import barriers specifically aimed at some of the states that supported Mr. Trump in the 2016 election. In December, amid improved chances for a trade deal, China resumed buying American soybeans after it stopped buying them last summer. China also removed the 25 percent tariff that it had imposed last summer on American-made cars and sport utility vehicles.

For China, the problem with retaliatory tariffs is that they might not be enough to persuade Washington to relent. China has worked to diversify its economy, but it still depends heavily on exporting manufactured goods abroad, including to the United States. While some American businesses would be pinched by retaliatory Chinese tariffs, the broader economic impact on the United States could be more limited.

[Read more about how China has tried to stabilize its economy recently.]

Tariffs are also only applied to a small portion of the prices consumers pay for purchases, so American shoppers wouldn’t see big changes in price tags.

China could broaden its tariffs to cover the one-third of its imports from the United States that it has not yet penalized. These are mainly semiconductors and Boeing aircraft. But Chinese companies need the semiconductors, and there are few rival producers elsewhere for some of them. They would simply have to pay the tariffs and become less competitive.

Putting tariffs on Boeing aircraft poses the same dilemma for Beijing. It would force Chinese airlines to buy from Airbus, the only real alternative supplier. Airbus would then be able to charge much higher prices.

Weaponizing shoppers

Another option is for the Chinese government to encourage the country’s consumers to boycott American products, or to allow such boycotts to be organized at a grass-roots level. China has used this weapon during foreign policy disputes with South Korea and Japan over the past decade.