Birgit Magdalena Tremml-Werner is a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Research Fellow at the University of Tokyo. Her current research focuses on the micro-level of intercultural diplomacy and diplomatic actors in Tokugawa Japan's long-distance trade.

• Part I The Setting Introduction 1 The Comparative Framework Part II Cross-Cultural Encounters in the Philippines 2 The Foundations of a Global Stage 3 The Trilogy of Triangular Trade: Junk Trade, Trans-Pacific Trade, and Provision Trade Part III 4 Triangular Foreign Relations 5 Zooming Out: Local-Central Dualism 6 Local-Central Tensions: Geopolitical Strategies, Intelligence, and Information Gathering Part IV Zooming In: Early Modern Manila and Regional Globalisation 7 Manila as Port City 8 Actors and Agency, Conclusion.