Why was trade with asia so important to european nations?

asia was the only place europeans could sell their wool and timber.
asia had highly prized goods that europe didn’t have.
europeans wanted to learn more about asia.
europeans could easily travel to asia.

Trade with Asia was so important to European nations because Asia had highly prized goods that Europe didn't have.

These products, mainly, were spices (from the Middle East) and fabrics, especially silk (from China).

The route used for trade between these regions was the Silk Road, a network of trade routes organized from the Chinese silk business since the 1st century BC, which spread throughout the Asian continent, connecting China with Mongolia , the Indian subcontinent, Persia, Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Europe and Africa.

they encountered severe weather for which they were poorly prepared.