NEW DELHI: India on Friday hosted the second summit of the Pacific Islands countries in Jaipur as part of a strategy to expand its presence in the region. The summit will be followed by the visit next week of the President of Seychelles James Alix Michel, just five months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the country with which India wishes to strengthen ties as it hopes to emerge as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.Prime Minister Modi announced a major plan to open a new space research and satellite monitoring station on the Fiji Islands. A satellite monitoring station in Fiji will provide India with an independent satellite tracking capacity. At present, India relies on the United States and Australia to assist it with monitoring its satellites over the Pacific.The summit was attended by leaders of all 14 Pacific Islands countries, including Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.Strong economic linkages and cooperation with these countries is a key factor in India’s ‘Act East’ policy, senior officials said, given the wealth of natural resources in the region. India is willing to assist them in harnessing their mineral, marine and hydrocarbon resources, they said. Both public and private sectors are keen to strengthen and diversify bilateral trade and encourage investments in fisheries, agriculture, oil and natural gas, mining and water desalination.The summit as well as the upcoming visit of the Seychelles president comes in the backdrop of China’s growing ambitions in not only the Pacific but also the Indian Ocean Region. Modi had pipped Xi Jinping when he visited Fiji two days ahead of the Chinese President in November last year to take part in the maiden Indo-Pacific Islands leaders meet.While all 14 Pacific Islands countries were part of that meet, leaders of only eight of them met Xi. Some of these countries do not enjoy diplomatic relations with China but have ties with Taiwan.The summit in Jaipur underlined the growing geostrategic importance of the 14 South Pacific islands that lie at the centre of a key maritime route rich in resources and one of the largest voting blocs in the United Nations , officials said. The support of these countries is key to India’s attempt to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council , they said.Modi had last year proposed visa on arrival for all and an e-network to connect the islands to provide tele-medicine and tele-education besides a Special Adaptation Fund of $1 million to provide technical assistance and training for capacity building. A hike in grant-in-aid from $125,000 to $200,000 annually to each island and a trade office of the Pacific Island nations in Delhi was also launched.The President of Seychelles will be on a state visit to India from August 25-27. Seychelles is a key security and defence partner for India in the Indian Ocean Region and an element in India’s ambitions to be a net security provider in the area.“As maritime neighbours, our partnership is anchored in the need for peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement, indicating the need for stability in the areas amid China’s ambitions reflected through its Maritime Silk Road Strategy.Modi had in his March trip to Seychelles launched the Coastal Surveillance Radar Project, gifted a Dornier aircraft for enhancing maritime security capabilities and received an island on lease which can be used as a listening and surveillance post.Seychelles is of strategic importance to India as it lies close to global lanes of shipping and commerce and is an important base in the fight against seaborne terrorism and piracy in the Indian Ocean Region, diplomacy experts said. India and Seychelles have shared strong military cooperation over the past three decades that has grown significantly in recent years.