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Malacca Strait Trade System

Type Object Region Southeast Asia Time 1561–1570

The Malacca Strait, a maritime chokepoint between the Indian Ocean and South China Sea, formed a diverse trade network by the mid-16th century center…

Timeline

  1. 1561–1563City of Malacca · MalaccaThe Portuguese governor's office strengthened port pass and cargo tax collection; Chinese merchant fleets had to pay duties in port before sailing north to Guangzhou or south to Java, making Malacca the institutional checkpoint and warehousing center of strait trade.
  2. 1564–1567Northern entrance of the strait (Penang channel) · Northern Malacca StraitFujian and Guangdong merchant ships carried silk and porcelain south, meeting pepper and cloves from Java and Banten at the strait's northern entrance for transshipment, forming an intra-Asian trade cycle independent of European ships and supporting Malacca's throughput.
  3. 1568Outworks of Malacca fortress · MalaccaAceh Sultan Ala ud-din sent a large oared fleet to besiege Malacca; merchant shipping insurance rates surged, and the strait trade system exposed its dependence on Portuguese naval escort under military pressure, also spurring the development of alternative routes by ports like Pahang and Johor.

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