ISLAND IN THE STREAM 1.The Era of Global Navigation The Dutch quickly established two forts in the Tainan area. The Dutch Flag One located at Anping was first called Fort Orange and then While the Spanish were in the Philippines,the Dutch had come to Zeelandia.The other,located nearby,was called Provintia.Both Indonesia in the early 1600s and founded Batavia (Jakarta)in were capable of defense.Zeelandia housed their trading functions 1619.The Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie(VOC)or United while Provintia housed the administrative,sleeping and Dutch East India Company,formed in 1602,managed their warehouse functions.From these solid bases,the Dutch gradually colonial businesses and trade.In search of a mid-station for their expanded their influence on the island. Asian trade,the Dutch traders had already been to the Penghu Both aborigines and Chinese dwelt near the area where the Archipelago (the Pescadores),located in the Taiwan Strait,in Dutch settled but they offered little or no opposition.However as 1603.They had also made repeated unsuccessful attempts to the Dutch began to confiscate more land and levy taxes, dislodge the Portuguese from Macau. resentment and resistance slowly built up.In the meantime,the When the Dutch decided to settle in Penghu,their actions drew Dutch used missionaries to try to convert the aborigines and using a quick response from the Ming regime in China.The Ming Roman characters translated the Bible into their language.For government had maintained its restrictions on travel abroad and those who refused to become Christians,the Dutch resorted to saw this as a threat.They attacked the Dutch on Penghu in 1624. military force to drive them from the area.The Dutch also levied After eight months both sides signed a truce agreement.This a 10 percent customs duty on all trading in Formosa whether agreement had three main points.The Dutch would abandon. Penghu;the Ming would not oppose the Dutch occupation of import or export.This 10 percent duty was opposed by Japanese Formosa;and trade would be maintained between the Ming and traders who had been used to trading with the Chinese on the Dutch.Since the Ming government did not claim sovereignty Formosa.In 1625,a Japanese sea captain named Hamada over Formosa,this was an easy arrangement for them to make. Yahiyoue(浜田弥兵術)challenged the Dutch right to levy taxes. Following the treaty,the Dutch developed settlements at Anping He refused to pay these taxes and declared himself exempt.This near Tainan in southwest Taiwan.Soon,however,they were declaration would sour the trade between the Dutch commercial conscious of the Spanish presence on the north of the island.They firm in Hirato,Japan and the Japanese samurai government.In also experienced Japanese attempts to establish firm trading bases 1627,Japanese traders brought aborigines leaders to be presented in Formosa.As a result of this,the Dutch replaced the governor in to the Japanese Shogun,but hopes of an alliance were Batavia and reassigned him as governor of Formosa.From there unsuccessful.Finally,trade would temporarily break off when in he could consistently look after Dutch trade activities and interests 1628,Hamada led some aborigines in a failed attempt to with both China and Japan. assassinate the Dutch governor.An international conflict loomed