European colonisation of Southeast Asia tightening Turkish control and eventual shut down of the Eastern Mediterranean gateways into Asia first prompted Portuguese, and later Spanish and Dutch sea voyagers to ship around Africa in search of new trading routes and business opportunities. Niccolò de' Conti arrived in Southeast Asia as the earliest documented European in the early 15th century. By 1498 Vasco da Gama, who had sailed round the Cape of Good Hope, established the first direct sea route from Europe to India. Central among the various plannings was to establish direct and permanent trade of the highly priced spices, that were native to Southeast
Asia–Europe Foundation Partners of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM): 30 European countries, 21 Asian countries, and 2 regional organisations (the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat). ASEF is funded by annual voluntary contributions from the 53 ASEM Partners and shares the financing of its projects with its civil society, public and private sector partners across Asia and Europe. ASEF reports to a Board of Governors whose members are appointed by each of the 53 ASEM Partners and who meet twice a year. At its permanent office in Singapore, ASEF is composed of 3 program departments, a Culture Department, an Education Department, and a