Ming Hegemony of the Indian Ocean.

What if either the Hongxi Emperor, son of the Yongle Emperor (or if not him than one of his brothers succeeding instead), maintained interest in China's navy and its explorations in the "Western Ocean"?

Would China take to policing the trade routes of the Indian Ocean, and prevent or delay the Portuguese in the 1500's from establishing their Estado da India vice-kingdom?

And would this policy lead China to overseas colonialism?
 
What if either the Hongxi Emperor, son of the Yongle Emperor (or if not him than one of his brothers succeeding instead), maintained interest in China's navy and its explorations in the "Western Ocean"?

Would China take to policing the trade routes of the Indian Ocean, and prevent or delay the Portuguese in the 1500's from establishing their Estado da India vice-kingdom?

And would this policy lead China to overseas colonialism?

First, the Chinese naval expeditions under Yongle weren't really explorations. They either went along trade routes well-known to the Chinese, or along routes where the Chinese used the trade routes of others (the Arabs, and probably others).

It's not enough that Ming China is interested in the Indian Ocean. It also has a problem financially too, given its military involvement in the north (against the Mongols) and in the south (against Vietnam). And the navy was very expensive. I can't see it lasting too long.

I don't know if Hongxi could slow down the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean, but I really can't see the Chinese stopping the Portuguese entirely.
 
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