If Ming voyages continued into the sixteenth century

What if the Chinese imperial fleet continued sailing west in the 1500s, and what could Western shipbuilders learn?

The exchange could improve logistics and sailing practice while creating new Chinese-European conflicts and major changes around Japan and the Indian Ocean.

Western shipbuilders could learn from Chinese fleet provisioning and the sail plans used on large junks. Continued voyages could also bring Chinese fleets into conflict with the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean and the Spanish in the Pacific. Spanish preferences for boarding would create different encounters from Portuguese stand-off gunnery. A defeat by Portuguese guns could encourage Chinese adoption of Western-style bronze cannon. Exchanges in sail design might accelerate changes in European shipbuilding, while sustained contact would create new alliances and rivalries. An active Chinese fleet would also put greater pressure on the Ottoman Empire's efforts to influence trade around Africa and the Indian Ocean. China could become another major naval power during the age of sail. Closer to home, a stronger maritime presence could prompt action against piracy around Japan, potentially including an invasion attempt.