President Vladimir Putin is effectively framing the upcoming SCO Summit as the antithesis of the G7, presenting it as a more representative, equitable, and forward-looking model for global governance. His entire pre-summit narrative draws a sharp contrast with the Western-led bloc.
While the G7 is often criticized as an exclusive club of wealthy, established powers, the SCO includes a diverse mix of established and emerging economies across Eurasia, including giants like China and India. Putin’s vision is of an inclusive institution for a multipolar world.
Where Putin accuses the G7 nations of using “discriminatory sanctions” to preserve their dominance, he positions the SCO as a body that respects sovereignty and works to reduce trade barriers. The focus is on cooperative development, not coercive punishment.
Putin’s call for a “fairer world order” and a new security architecture is a direct challenge to the agenda set by the G7. He is using the Tianjin summit to showcase the SCO as the premier forum for the non-Western world, a rising power center with a competing vision for the 21st century.