在超過半個世紀的兩岸關係發展史上，「一個中國」絕對是最關鍵且最敏感的一個概念性名詞，即便未來也恐怕不例外；無論是大陸與台灣彼此之間的文字往來，甚或在所有涉及兩岸關係的國際性活動、外交文書、法律性規範中，「一個中國」原則既到處可見，經常成為雙方爭議焦點，亦或許是最終能否解決此一長期紛爭的「繫鈴處」。儘管如此，究竟何謂「一個中國」？為何只有「一個中國」？我們到底應如何去看待「一個中國」的問題？「一個中國」的歷史與邏輯糾纏最終又將如何影響未來的兩岸關係？在本文中，個人將試圖分析這一連串複雜難解的問題。

In more than half a century of developments across the Taiwan Strait, without a doubt, the term “One China” is the most critical and most sensitive term of all. Even in the future, exceptions will be hard to come by. Whether the case pertains to written exchanges between China and Taiwan or international activities, diplomatic documents and legal regulations related to Cross-strait relations, the One China principle is ubiquitous. While the concept often becomes the focus of feuds across the Strait, it may also be the critical link where the final solution to the conflict between China and Taiwan lies. Nonetheless, what is “One China”? How should we understand the One China issue? Ultimately, how will the history and logic of One China influence the future of Cross-strait relations? This article is an attempt to analyze the foregoing series of complicated and difficult questions.