From 1624 to 1662 and again from 1664 to 1668, the island of Taiwan, often referred to as Formosa, was under the colonial control of the Dutch Republic. During the Age of Discovery, the Dutch East India Company set up its base on Formosa to facilitate trade with neighboring regions like the Ming Empire in China and the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan. Additionally, they aimed to counteract the trade and colonial endeavors of the Portuguese and Spanish in East Asia.

However, the Dutch faced resistance and had to suppress uprisings from both the indigenous people and recent Han Chinese settlers. As the Qing dynasty emerged in the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company shifted its allegiance from the Ming to the Qing, in return for unrestricted access to trade routes. This colonial chapter concluded after Koxinga's forces besieged Fort Zeelandia in 1662, leading to the Dutch expulsion and the establishment of the Ming-loyalist, anti-Qing Kingdom of Tungning.