In a classic carrot-and-stick narrative, President Vladimir Putin sharply contrasted the benefits of partnership with China against the “hindrance” of Western sanctions. His message to the world ahead of the SCO summit was a clear choice: cooperation and growth with the East, or stagnation and coercion from the West.
The “carrot” was the booming Russia-China economic relationship. Putin celebrated the $100 billion trade surge, China’s role as a top energy partner, and their joint efforts to reduce trade barriers. This, he argued, is a model of mutually beneficial, respectful partnership.
The “stick” was his condemnation of “discriminatory” US and EU sanctions. He framed these not just as an attack on Russia, but as a deliberate “hindrance” to the socioeconomic development of the BRICS nations and the “world at large,” portraying the West as a spoiler of global progress.
This stark contrast is a powerful rhetorical tool Putin will use at the SCO summit. He is offering a clear value proposition to other nations: align with the cooperative and growing Eurasian bloc, or remain subject to a Western-led order that he claims uses economic punishment to maintain its dominance.