 After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and the transfer of China's seat to the PRC at the United Nations in 1971, foreign minister Huang Hua appealed to the UN Special Committee on Decolonization to remove Macau (and Hong Kong) from its list of colonies, preferring bilateral negotiations ending in a return of the territory, rather than the independence of the territory as was implied by its inclusion on the list.The Carnation Revolution of 1974 saw Portugal‘s right-wing regime replaced by a centre-left administration which implemented an agenda centred on the decolonisation of Portugal’s remaining possessions outside Europe.Within one year, the government of Portugal withdrew its troops from Macau, withdrew recognition of the Republic of China in favour of the People's Republic, and began negotiations for the return of Macau.