<P> Portugal was the first European power to establish a bridgehead on the lucrative maritime Southeast Asia trade route , with the conquest of the Sultanate of Malacca in 1511 . The Netherlands and Spain followed and soon superseded Portugal as the main European powers in the region . In 1599 , Spain began to colonise the Philippines . In 1619 , acting through the Dutch East India Company , the Dutch took the city of Sunda Kelapa , renamed it Batavia ( now Jakarta ) as a base for trading and expansion into the other parts of Java and the surrounding territory . In 1641 , the Dutch took Malacca from the Portuguese . Economic opportunities attracted Overseas Chinese to the region in great numbers . In 1775 , the Lanfang Republic , possibly the first republic in the region , was established in West Kalimantan , Indonesia , as a tributary state of the Qing Empire ; the republic lasted until 1884 , when it fell under Dutch occupation as Qing influence waned . </P>
<P> Portugal was the first European power to establish a bridgehead on the lucrative maritime Southeast Asia trade route , with the conquest of the Sultanate of Malacca in 1511 . The Netherlands and Spain followed and soon superseded Portugal as the main European powers in the region . In 1599 , Spain began to colonise the Philippines . In 1619 , acting through the Dutch East India Company , the Dutch took the city of Sunda Kelapa , renamed it Batavia ( now Jakarta ) as a base for trading and expansion into the other parts of Java and the surrounding territory . In 1641 , the Dutch took Malacca from the Portuguese . Economic opportunities attracted Overseas Chinese to the region in great numbers . In 1775 , the Lanfang Republic , possibly the first republic in the region , was established in West Kalimantan , Indonesia , as a tributary state of the Qing Empire ; the republic lasted until 1884 , when it fell under Dutch occupation as Qing influence waned . </P>
which european country was the first to establish a colony in southeast asia
which european country was the first to establish a colony in southeast asia
Spain
Spain