[6] The Ming dynasty of the 17th century had relaxed its age old practice of banning maritime trade, allowing the Chinese coast to bustle with commercial activity.

The pirate leader Zheng Zhilong in particular dominated the Fujian coast, his ships decked with European cannons and mercenaries from Japan to Africa.

Zheng Zhilong had promised to lobby on behalf of the Dutch if they in turn helped defeat his former subordinate Li Kuiqi (李魁奇); however, when this was accomplished in February 1630, Putmans received no guarantees about trade.

Unbeknownst to Putmans, Zheng Zhilong had not been able to fulfill his promise because he then served a new Governor of Fujian, Zou Weilian [zh], who was hostile to the Dutch.

"[14] However, the new fleet was not given a chance to prove its worth, for it offered no resistance against the Dutch as they sailed around Gulang Island into the harbour of Amoy, thinking they were friendly.

Three large junks escaped being burned or hacked to pieces and the Dutch suffered only one casualty — a sailor who had died setting a fire.

His stalling bore fruit, as the typhoon season brought gales that hit the Dutch fleet, incapacitating four of its ships.

In October 1633, now ready to strike, Zheng Zhilong sent a derogatory message to Putmans: "How can a dog be suffered to lay his head on the pillow of the emperor's resting place?"

[19] The Dutch East India Company's fleet consisted of the warships Broeckerhaven, Slooterdijck, Wieringen, Perdam, Zeeburg, Koudekerke, Zalm and Bleiswijk.

The Dutch had anchored at Liaoluo Bay off Kinmen Island with these eight vessels and fifty junks belonging to their Chinese pirate allies flying the VOC flag.

[20]The decisive encounter occurred on October 22 when Zheng's fleet engaged the Dutch warships[21] and fifty junks from Chinese pirate allies.

[1] In order to fool the Dutch to expect otherwise, Zheng chose to use large warjunks as the fireships, decking them with cannons and soldiers (who were equipped with bamboo tubes and were to jump overboard just before crashing the ship into the enemy fleet).

[5][25] The victory at Liaoluo Bay had reestablished the prestige and authority of China in the Taiwan Strait, as Hans Putmans ceased his piratical activities on the Chinese coast.

Putmans's superiors in Batavia especially ordered him to stay away from China and "out of harm's way so [Dutch ships] won't be exposed to the kind of fury and resolution the Chinese displayed at Liaoluo Bay.

"[5] However, Putmans felt that his plan had not came to naught, since the Dutch "showed what damage and disruption we can cause them, and it appears that even though they held the field, destroyed two of our yachts, and drove us from their coast, they still came seeking peace with us, and have granted us better trade than ever.

[19] Liu Xiang's pirate gang was eventually eliminated in the 1640s by Zheng Zhilong, who came to hold uncontested hegemony over the overseas Chinese trade.