After the Portuguese reached China in 1514 and Japan in 1542, they soon started trading with porcelain from these countries. Other Europeans also started to engage in the ceramics trade. During the 17^th and 18^th centuries, most porcelain was exported to Europe in bulk to be used as tea and table ware. It was mainly blue-and-white, but there was also a smaller number of more costly overglaze painted ceramics.

The conquest of Malacca in 1511 allowed the Portuguese to gain control over the Spice Road between Southeast Asia and the Persian Gulf. In the 16^th century, Malay was a widely diffused lingua franca of intra-Asian trade and communication. The presence of the Portuguese in Southeast Asia led to linguistic exchanges: some Portuguese words, which were mostly related to navigation and trade goods, entered the Malay language, and a certain number of Malay words found their way into the Portuguese vocabulary.

The period of the Malacca Sultanate, which lasted from 1400 to 1511 AD, was a landmark in the history of Malaysia. It was situated at a strategic position at the Straits of Malacca and controlled domestic and international trade in the Malay Archipelago. Malacca played a major role in the diffusion of Islam in Southeast Asia, and the Malay language became a lingua franca in the region.

When Dutch troops arrived in Formosa in the 1628, they discovered that there was a booming trade with venison and deer with merchants from mainland China. The locals essentially lived on venison and used every part of the deer for clothing and other purposes. Since they were not familiar with money, goods were bartered with the Chinese traders. Deer skins also functioned as currency until the late 20^th century. Most venison and some live deer were shipped to the Chinese coast, and large quantities of deerskin were sold to Japan.

From pre-Islamic times, there were trade relations between the kingdom of Silla on the Korean peninsula and the Middle East, via the Maritime Silk Road. After the birth of Islam, Muslim merchants travelled extensively to the East and some of them settled there, for instance in China, and they probably came in contact with merchants from Silla. Muslims also settled on the Korean peninsula, where they found rich natural resources, especially gold, and pleasant living conditions. They cultivated Islamic culture and religious tradition.

Archaeological findings have shown that various harbours around Sumatra, the Straits of Malacca and the Strait of Sunda, were part of a trade network from the 1^st century AD onwards. Commerce expanded significantly in the 10^th century AD, a time when the sea around Sumatra was controlled by the rulers of Sriwijaya. From the 14^th century onwards, power in the region shifted to the Muslim rulers of Samudera-Pasai and subsequently the Sultanates of Aceh and Banten.

In pre-Islamic times, the Sasanian Empire tried to gain control over the two Eastern systems of communication and trade, the land and sea Silk Road, as well as over the Mediterranean system in the West, which was built up by the Romans. The Sasanians tried to block contacts between the Eastern and Western trade networks. After the rise of Islam, the Silk Roads were extensively used by Muslims.

In the 20^th century, excavations provided new information on the contacts between the Roman Empire and ancient India. Roman artefacts, such as pottery, textiles and jewellery, were found in various sites along the Coromandel coast as well as in the hinterland in Southeast India. These sites formed part of a vast trading network on the land and on the sea. Ships from the Roman Empire usually sailed to the Indian West coast and the goods they brought were then transported to the East coast on Indian vessels or via the land route.

Buddhism had a significant influence on early trading networks. By the 2^nd century BC, certain regions of mainland and peninsular Southeast Asia formed an integral part of trading networks. Buddhism was in favour of trade, and Buddhist monasteries were closely connected to trading groups. On the Indian subcontinent, monasteries were often situated along the trade routes, received important donations from merchants and became significant economic centres.

Glass was brought to China from West Asia around the 5^th century BC, probably via the maritime Silk Road. Shortly after, the Chinese started making their own glass and exported it to Korea and Japan. At the same time, Roman glass arrived in China over the inland and maritime roads. The import of pre-Islamic Sasanian glassware via the desert route was followed by Islamic glass, which reached China both by land and by sea. From the 11^th century, most glass was imported and exported over the maritime road.