Headline is a bit inaccurate. “If they use anything other than dollar” is the quote.
While neocon colonial handlers have been making the west puppets fall over themselves over offering more war, there was already a strong division in the world.
Trade prevents wars. The world becoming more divided will make the US more isolated, and anger the low hanging fruit of dealing with decline. Investment outside of the US and its influence have already taken off. This posturing is not significantly different than the path the Biden administration set on, but there is a matter of style that will cause the US colonies to choose between dignity and extreme ever subjugated diminishment to US control and profits, even as the US itself causes its own decline.
More to your point, I think we agree on that.
My point is that government is for when the open market fails.
Providing margin against known common disasters and shortages is a great use of government power to distort a market.
Tariffs and subsidies can close the gap to provide incentive to have local production of things like clean water, food, power, medical supplies, and computer chips.
In my ideal case, each government would provide consistent local demand, and ship the excess product as goodwill donations to neighbors in need.
We actually see some of that now, but 2020 revealed a number of substantial gaps.