Brief history of maritime network establishment

Maritime transportation has always been the dominant support of global trade. By 1,200 BC, Egyptian ships traded as far as Sumatra, representing one of the longest maritime routes of that time. By the 10th century, Chinese merchants frequented the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, establishing regional trade networks. During the same period, maritime trade routes between the Middle East and Asia were established, mainly under the control of Arab merchants. In the early 15th century, Admiral Zheng He led a large Chinese fleet of more than 300 vessels manned by a crew of 28,000 to conduct seven major expeditions, one of which reached the East African coast.