What does the "East India" part in the "Dutch East India Company" mean?

There is the Dutch East India Company, Portuguese, French, Danish, etc. Just wondering why they are all "East India". Does this mean they traded from their country to east India or something? Thanks for any help.What does the "East India" part in the "Dutch East India Company" mean?
When Columbus arrived in the Americas he thought he had found the E. coast of India. He therefore thought the Caribbean was part of the Indies. It did not take that long to find out the mistake, but the name had by then stuck, the aboriginal inhabitants were christened 'Indians' and so on.

Later the Caribbean islands became known as the West Indies (and are so to this day) whereas the true Indies (the places now known as India, Burma, Pakistan etc.) became known as the East Indies. It was a handy way of distinguishing between the regions and the name 'East India' became attached to various European companies trading with India and the far East.

The name owes a lot to a 15thC misconception, and little to the real geographical fact.What does the "East India" part in the "Dutch East India Company" mean?
All such East India Companies came to those parts for only trade first. Exigencies of conditions there propelled them into military role and Empire-building when there was no stopping them. Was there a Portuguese East India Company too, I wonder (I think you are going overboard!). Austria established its 'post' even, in the Andaman Islands where there can be no competitor. But for the same reason (why others didn't come there) they wound it up.