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
Africa-Asia Confidential coverage in the mainstream press. With its investigations into corruption and political intrigue, "Africa-Asia Confidential" is read monthly by people in a wide range of institutions and by individuals around the world. The newsletter gives insight into the importance of the increasing connections of China, India, Japan and South Korea with Africa and the facts about commercial, political and diplomatic relations. Africa-Asia Confidential Africa-Asia Confidential was first published in November 2007 by the same group that owns "Africa Confidential", Asempa Limited of Cambridge. The newsletter was founded in response to the growing political and economic relations between Africa and Asia,