Because it worked on Japan in the 80s and 90s and sometimes “Americans” have a hard time telling the two cultures apart.

It's not about 2 cultures, but 2 timelines. China has seen the game and adapted, they will not respond with prior losing responses. Meanwhile, America is playing the same moves because it worked in the past.

Weird why Americans would think that the coercion that worked against an essentially vassal state with no independent military would work against a non-aligned nuclear powered state with a strong, independent military

Sovereign and non-sovereign nations have completely different decision matrices for dealing with external threats