China - US Trade War: Holes in this analogy?
A very interesting question

The analogy is wrong in a few aspects

1st of all, the technology. The us produces patents and knowledge in general which china doesn't posess
Furthermore the us government supports innovation and the development of new technologies
Since it intangible, its hard to dismiss, but when you think about it, the US most valuable companies main assets are tech patents

The ingredient of creating technology is highly skilled workers, which in turn, make the us low tech industry  unsustainable, which, in its turn, gives china its advantage

China doesn't have a functioning innovation model, on the contrary, stealing patents are almost a Chinese specialty...

Another thing to consider is the game that china is playing:
The stronger the demand for its goods, the stronger the demand for labor, which increases local salaries, then the product cost itself
And along with the rise of its foreign currency balance that pressures the Yuan's rate to rise, 
there is a huge pressure on the Chinese products' price in dollars

China holds it currency artificially low, essentially subsidizing its products at a large cost, and in way, hurting the us economy

So the analogy is not really holding...
The us is not the free rider in this story