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 support from the Government of Japan. The ASEF PHN has been promoting bi-regional exchange of public health priorities with a strong focus on emerging infectious diseases, including pandemic influenza. Through its media projects, ASEF creates unique networking platforms for an exchange of views and ideas as well as cooperation among mass media representatives of Asia and Europe. The media projects include events with themes aligned with the agenda of Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) which examine current issues relevant to Asia-Europe relations, challenges faced by the media industry, as well as the professional development of media personnel. ASEF's members are the 53