Just as the European countries of the early eighteenth century sought to exploit the resources of our continent, so too are we now attempting to extract energy and minerals from the ocean bed.

(A) Just as the European countries of the early eighteenth century sought to exploit the resources of our continent, so too
(B) The European countries of the early eighteenth century sought to exploit the
resources of our continent, and in a similar way
(C) Like the case of the European countries of the early eighteenth century who sought to exploit the resources of our continent, so too
(D) As in the exploitation of the resources of our continent by European countries of the early eighteenth century,
(E) Similar to the European countries which sought in the early eighteenth century to exploit the resources of our continent