By 1979, the People’s Republic of China and the Portuguese Republic signed a joint communiqué on the establishment of official diplomatic relations and reached an understanding that the issue of Macao, which is left over from the past, will be settled through friendly negotiation by the two governments at opportune time. In May 1985, the President of Portugal, Antonio Ramalho Eanes visited China. He met with Deng Xiaoping at the Great Hall of the People and took pictures with the journalists from Hong Kong and Macao. This visit began the Sino-Portuguese negotiations.