(This story originally appeared in on Dec 27, 2019)

NEW DELHI: Looking to consolidate its presence in the western Indian Ocean , a region where China continues to rapidly expand its presence both economically and militarily, India this week appointed a defence attache for its mission in Madagascar , the island nation off the coast of east Africa.This followed MEA's decision earlier this month to bring the countries in the region under one umbrella, namely the Indian Ocean Region Division which handles Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles . This division will now also deal with Madagascar, Comoros and the French Reunion in the western Indian Ocean.The government is hoping these moves will help it make strategic inroads into the western Indian Ocean, a region China sees as its gateway to Africa. The appointment of a defence attache follows defence cooperation agreements which India signed with both Madagascar and Comoros recently.The government is also looking to use the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) more and more for its outreach to these island nations collectively known as Vanilla Islands (along with Seychelles, Mauritius and Mayotte). As a part of these efforts, an ICG ship, Vikram, arrived at Madagascar’s port city Toamasina on a goodwill visit.Both Madagascar and Comoros, which are often hit by cyclone, have expressed interest in involving the ICG more in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.In the first high-level visit by an Indian leader to Comoros, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu travelled to Comoros in October this year. The visit saw India and Comoros formally acknowledging the potential for enhancement and expansion of defence ties, especially in the maritime domain to ensure ``collaborative security and economic growth’’ for all littoral countries in the Indian Ocean Region.Four Indian naval ships had visited Madagascar this year. This followed a defence MoU India signed with Madagascar in 2018. The 2 countries are currently said to be discussing several defence projects under the MoU for capacity building and training of Madagascar’s defence personnel. As a sign of the significance India attaches to western Indian Ocean, the government is also said to be considering organising a summit here with the Vanilla Island nations.India’s focus on western Indian Ocean has come not a moment too soon with China emerging as a major player in the region, which it sees as its bridge to Africa, otherwise dominated by the US and France.India last year offered Madagascar $80.7 million Line of Credit for agriculture and mechanisation and is looking to provide countries in the region help in building infrastructure projects in energy, roads and port development.