After Great Britain (1600) and the Netherlands (1602) joined the Portuguese and Spanish in exploring the world at the beginning of the 17th century, the Treaty was breached and more or less 'cancelled'. By this time, Portugal's limited resources had already reduced its ability to hold its Asian colonies and trade superiority. In time, the French, Danes, Swedes and eventually the Americans joined the earlier Europeans in seeking a foothold in South and East Asia. 