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All, I have a question.

I've read a few books on the Napoleonic Wars but they are typically very light on any effects on Southern or Eastern Asia, especially the European possessions/Colonies at the time.

I know by this point that India was largely a British possession with the French/Portuguese/Danish/Dutch enclaves merely figureheads and that China was still fifty years away from being carved up into "spheres of influence" but i'm surprised that there was not more action in this theater.

As best I can tell, the 1811-1812 British occupation of Dutch Indonesia (the Republic, later Kingdom of the Netherlands was mostly a French client state as was its colonies) was the most movement in east asia during this time and that was only at the tail end of the 25 year series of wars.

Anyone know why Britain didn't attack the Philippines prior to 1807ish (when the Peninsular War began and Britain and Spain became allies)?

Anyone know why Britain didn't attack Indonesia until 1811 as they had complete naval superiority for years?

It sets up an interesting series of butterflies.

What if Britain conquered both (at least the key trading sites) early on and kept them?

Could any other European nation set up a "sphere of influence" in China in later years with the route to Asia so thoroughly dominated (South Africa, Egypt, Aden, India, Australia, Indonesia and Philippines) by Britain?

No French Indochina?

Or would this be a setup for a British, Japanese and Russian three way tussle for influence in China and domination of the west pacific?

Any ideas?
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