Spurred by Chinese expansion, India is massively strengthening its involvement in the African Indian Ocean Rim pursuing defence and commercial engagement with countries including Mauritius, Seychelles and Mozambique, a leading think tank here said on Monday.

Increasingly it is China rather than Pakistan that worries New Delhi's policy makers. In 2007, India warned Beijing about its increasing activity in the Seychelles and at the same time opened a new surveillance installation in Madagascar, indicating the importance of the Indian Ocean as New Delhi's own backyard.

The first-ever India-Africa Summit opens in New Delhi tomorrow and marks a change in Indo-African ties across economic, political and social spheres. According to the paper, the Indian Ocean has immense significance to India's development not only commercially but also due to concerns over its security and hegemony in the region.

Most of India's trade is by sea and nearly 89 per cent of its oil arrives by sea route, so keeping shipping lanes safe is a strategic priority. New Delhi has developed a formidable economic partnership with Mauritius because of its strong ethnic Indian population but also because it is the largest offshore investor in India.

Economic links to coastal states such as Kenya and Tanzania and defence agreements with Mozambique and the Seychelles all lead to the growing significance of the African Indian Ocean Rim in India's foreign policy. The think tank, in the paper charts the evolving relationship between India and other countries of the Rim and looks at factors inducing change.