Well, the chinese big secret was silk. So that would be my best guess.
French involvement in the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783 began in 1775, when France, a hotbed of various radical Enlightenment ideas and long-term historical rival of the Kingdom of Great Britain, secretly shipped supplies to the Continental Army when it was established in June 1775.
They faced massive drought cattle death and a very nasty case of the black plauge
It was the English. The company was called the Dutch East India Company.
Answer:
D. july 4 1776 was when it was formally signed