Menon, a former Indian ambassador to China, said that China has had an active presence in South Asia since 2012 and has a strong commitment to Pakistan. He is also playing a role in the internal politics of countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka and has made a military intervention in the Indian Ocean, which is creating problems for India. Menon, who was the National Security Advisor in the government headed by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said, China has been opposing India’s growing credibility and on issues like seats in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the NSG.
On this occasion, Ranade said that under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the goal of China is to first establish itself as a major power country in Asia or in the Indo-Pacific region and then compete with the US. He said that India stands in the way of this intention of China.