While European powers focused on their internal conflicts and ventures in the West, the Ming Dynasty, which had long embraced a philosophy of internal focus and stability, was compelled to re-evaluate its stance due to the activities of European, primarily Madjriti, merchants flooding Chinese ports in the early 16th century. The sheer volume of trade ships suggested Madjrit had secured complete dominion over the Indian Ocean, a concentration of power China felt it could not afford to ignore, compelling the emperor and his advisors to modernize the realm. This new, outward-looking direction faced internal opposition from the "Old Guard," who championed the traditional stability of isolation. The emperor circumvented this resistance by reforming the imperial examination system, gradually replacing the traditional curriculum with mandatory sections on naval engineering, geography, foreign languages, and macroeconomics, and prioritizing Confucian interpretations that valued flexibility the 16th century, the Chinese worked to gather intelligence on the global maritime structure, sponsoring merchant fleets, welcoming foreigners, and sending navigators on foreign ships, far surpassing the earlier voyages of Tian Bao. In 1558, Chinese officials were dispatched to Madjrit specifically to learn about their advanced shipbuilding techniques, materials, and naval tactics, which proved incredibly valuable upon their return in 1570. The Ming also focused on internal stability, resolving an impending financial crisis in the early 17th century by diversifying tax collection (using grain and labor instead of silver) and streamlining the expensive defenses of the northern frontier. They simultaneously dismantled corruption, enforced regular audits, and prioritized meritocracy in bureaucratic appointments, averting a severe fiscal crisis.

By the turn of the 17th century, the Ming had built one of the world's largest fleets, leveraging the best Madjriti construction techniques. This fleet was initially used as a demonstration of power in the Indies, but soon became a tool for expansion, beginning with the archipelago of Ma-i (the Philippines) in 1608. Despite the challenging jungle terrain, the Ming subdued most of Ma-i by 1632, avoiding the Muslim south to maintain amicable relations with Madjrit, whom they viewed as a viable trade partner. China also used its naval power to coerce taxation from Indian port cities throughout the 1620s and 1630s, establishing influence over trading hubs. Concurrently, China aggressively secured its land borders by making regular encroachments against the Jurchens in Manchuria and territories in its western hinterlands. The Ming chose not to subjugate Cipangu (Japan) as it did Corea (Korea), instead viewing the island as a desirable, quiet backyard.

The unexpected arrival of a French fleet in the northern archipelago of Ma-i in 1632 served as a challenge to the Ming dominion. Although the Ming successfully forced the smaller French fleet to leave, the French presence in the southern Iles Moluques (Moluccas/Spice Islands) was tolerated, primarily to avoid scaring away the highly lucrative Madjriti trade. Furthermore, the French expedition revealed that the launching point for the Europeans was the "New World," a continent the Chinese inadvertently stumbled upon. This discovery was confirmed as a new, distinct landmass in 1658. The Ming established their first New World colony, Hoshih ("Radiant Land," corresponding to the island of California), in 1659. This secured China a stake in the new continent and began the Chinese Age of Exploration.