本文研究的重點，是兩岸關係的變遷與定位。對於兩岸變遷的探討，主要是希望藉著各個不同階段的分類來認識兩岸的互動情況。由於兩岸的變遷不盡然只由歷史研究途徑作為唯一解讀的管道，因此也設法藉由西方理論模式的運用來解析兩岸變遷的過程。其次，對於兩岸定位的分析，則以一些過去兩岸所浮現出的現象為區分標準。希望藉此了解，兩岸當局對雙方關係在變遷過程當中，因呈現不同的內涵給予彼此不同的定位後，進而再延伸出兩岸關係整個定位的結論。由於本文是從「變遷」的探討去從事「定位」的分析，因此「變遷」與「定位」還是有些區分：「變遷」只是一種現象的描述，而「定位」則是一種「法定或事實」的描述。所以變遷與定位的觀點當然會有關連，但不是必然的互動結果。
The main research to this article is concentrating on reviewing what the historic developments and the political definition of Cross-Strait relations have been changed since 1949. As to the discussion of Cross-Strait developments, the author hopes mainly to realize the interactions between Taipei and Beijing through the classification of the different stage from 1949 to the present. However, the historical approach is not the only method to analyze of Cross-Strait developments, and the western theories are thereby applied to the analysis. Then, the status of the political definition settled by Taipei and Beijing to each other cannot be ignored. This author tries to find how the both sides of Taiwan Strait give a proper status to each other through the different period. Of course, the emphasis on this article is at first in search of the historic changes then turns to the discussion of the political definition. Surely, there is distinguish between the historic development and political definition: “When the historic development is considered as the description of phenomenons, the political definition can then be modified as a state under the regulation by law or fact”. The both may be connected in some ways, but they are not an inevitable outcome of their interactions.
