How come it took so long for the Americas to be discovered by not only European nations, but by Asian nations?

Question

Title pretty much sums things up

In: 6

Answer 1

The Chinese were the richest nation on Earth during the Age of Exploration. European nations were desperate to trade with China; China was not desperate to trade with anyone. Furthermore, the Pacific is much wider than the Atlantic and the trade winds don’t favor sailing from China to America.