 The battle is the only major engagement that was fought between two European powers on the Chinese mainland.After the Portuguese gained permission from the Ming mandarins to establish a permanent settlement and trade base in Macau in 1557, the port of Macau benefited greatly from being the intermediary of the lucrative China–Japan trade, since the direct routes were banned by the Ming court due to fears of the "wokou" pirates.Portugal's success in Macau drew the envy of other European maritime powers who were slower to gain a foothold in East Asia.