<P> According to one historian, Portuguese rulers were unwilling to meet the demands of their colonial subjects (unlike other European powers) in part because Portuguese elites believed that "Portugal lacked the means to conduct a successful "exit strategy" (akin to the "neocolonial" approach followed by the British, the French, or the Belgians)" and in part due to the lack of "a free and open debate (in Salazar's dictatorial state) on the costs of upholding an empire against the anti-colonial consensus that had prevailed in the United Nations since the early 1960s". </P> <P> Civil wars in Angola and Mozambique promptly broke out, with incoming communist governments formed by the former rebels (and backed by the Soviet Union, Cuba, and other communist countries) fighting against insurgent groups supported by nations like Zaire, South Africa, and the United States . East Timor also declared independence in 1975 by making an exodus of many Portuguese refugees to Portugal, which was also known as retornados . However, East Timor was almost immediately invaded by neighbouring Indonesia, which would later occupied it up until 1999 . A United Nations - sponsored referendum resulted in a majority of East Timorese choosing independence, which was finally achieved in 2002 . </P> <P> In 1987, Portugal signed the Sino - Portuguese Joint Declaration with the People's Republic of China to establish the process and conditions for the transfer of sovereignty of Macau, its last remaining colony . While this process was similar to the agreement between the United Kingdom and China two years earlier regarding Hong Kong, the Portuguese transfer to China was met with less resistance than that of Britain regarding Hong Kong, as Portugal had already recognized Macau as Chinese territory under Portuguese administration in 1979 . Under the transfer agreement, Macau is to be governed under a one country, two systems policy, in which it will retain a high degree of autonomy and maintain its capitalist way of life for at least 50 years after the handover in 2049 . The handover in 1999 officially marked the end of the Portuguese Empire and end of colonialism in Asia . </P> <P> Presently, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) serves as the cultural and intergovernmental successor of the Empire . </P>

How did portuguese merchants establish land bases in asia