1989年5月16日中午,邓小平设宴款待前来中国访问的苏联领导人戈尔巴乔夫。席间,两人有这么一段耐人寻味的对话:戈尔巴乔夫:“现在我要完成我国领导人的一项委托,即邀请你去苏联访问。”邓小平:“我出国的使命已经完成了。如果3年前解决了柬埔寨问题,那我真的要到苏联去。可能去远东,也可能是莫斯科。现在已经过了3年了,我这个年龄不允许了。我感谢你的盛情邀请。”戈尔巴乔夫:“但我们仍然向你发出邀请。一旦你得出结论可以访苏,我们将随时欢迎你去。”邓小平:“我这一生只剩下一件事,看来恐怕做不成了,就是台湾问题。调整了与日本的关系,与美国的关系,也调整了与苏联的关系。确定了归回香港,还未到期,但也确定了。这是对外关系问题。对内的参与,确定了基本路线,四个现代化这件事。一个政策,就是改革开放政策。四个坚持。还没有能够实现的,就是废除终身制度。这个没能实现。这是制度上的重要问题。”领袖晚年,都会留下或大或小、或多或少的人生遗憾,邓小平也不例外。台湾问题和祖国统一大业,毫无疑问就是邓小平晚年留下的最大遗憾。在85岁高龄的时候,邓小平已经预见自己很难看到台湾回归祖国的日期了。在这次谈话中,他清楚地表达了自己的晚年遗憾。 On the afternoon of May 16, 1989, Deng Xiaoping hosted a dinner for visiting Gorbachev, the Soviet leader who came to visit China. During the banquet, the two people had such an interesting dialogue: Gorbachev: “Now I am going to complete an entrustment by our leaders to invite you to visit the Soviet Union.” Deng Xiaoping: “My mission abroad has been completed. If I had solved the problem of Cambodia three years ago, I would really like to go to the Soviet Union, possibly go to the Far East and possibly Moscow, and now it has been three years since I was not allowed in this age, and I thank you for your kind invitation. Gorbachev: ”But we still give you an invitation. Once you reach a conclusion you can visit Su, we will welcome you at any time.“ Deng Xiaoping: ”I have only one thing in my life, I am afraid I can not do it It is the question of Taiwan, which has readjusted its relations with Japan, its relations with the United States, and its relations with the Soviet Union. It has been set back to Hong Kong but not yet expired, but it has also been set. This is an issue of foreign relations. Participate in and determine the basic line, the four modernizations this one thing is a policy of reform and opening up policy, the four insisted that has not been able to be achieved is to abolish life-long system, which failed to achieve this is an important system issues. " Cuff in his later years, would leave large or small, more or less regret in life, Deng Xiaoping is no exception. The Taiwan issue and the great cause of the reunification of the motherland undoubtedly are the greatest regret left by Deng Xiaoping in his later years. At the age of 85, Deng Xiaoping has foreseen that it is hard to see the date of Taiwan’s return to the motherland. In this conversation, he clearly expressed his own regret in his later years.