If we insist that the reform and opening-up is the route a country must take to wealth and power, North Korea, given time, will eventually take this road.

There's a regular pattern in the development of the world. No matter what kind of governance model is adopted, if a country follows the general trend, it will be prosperous; if it does not, it will fade. This basic pattern will not change.

North Korea has been worried about the country's reform and opening-up. Its leadership also has their concerns. The country hasn't been prepared for reform and opening-up.

Nonetheless, no matter what causes such worries, reform and opening-up is the only way for North Korea, a country of only 20 million people, to develop and prosper. No country in the world became powerful when it was closed. It's even more impossible in this globalized world.

If North Korea carries out the policy of reform and opening-up, their people will benefit first. Their lives will get improved, and as a result, the country will benefit as well.

A more open North Korea will influence Sino-North Korean ties. A North Korea that is economically open and politically stable will be good to the peaceful development of China and the whole region.

China and South Korea have also encountered some difficulties, but generally, the advantages of the bilateral relations outweigh any trouble.

Recently, the South Korean government decided to extend the duration of visa-free stay for Chinese citizens to 30 days. This should be attributed to the positive impact of opening-up.

The current North Korea is considered a strategic barrier by some. But these ideas had better be abandoned, not only because the idea of the barrier hinders the exchanges between China and the two Koreas, but also because China no longer needs that barrier given its national strength nowadays.

No matter how the Sino-North Korean relationship changes, it is better than the Korean Peninsula going nuclear.

It is also better than having people in the peninsula live with worries about survival or fears of a nuclear war every day.

It suits China's interests to push North Korea to become a more open state. If China successfully does so, it will win the hearts of both the North Koreans and others, and China's diplomatic prestige will grow too.

What's more, this will help China gain an advantageous position in the reconstruction of the political and security order in Northeast Asia or even the whole of the Asia-Pacific region.

If that takes place, the disputes around the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea can get solved more smoothly. Moreover, China's core interests will be better maintained.

More importantly, the benefits China gets can also be shared by others in Northeast Asia and elsewhere. In our efforts to resolve the Korean Peninsula crisis, what China needs is not only political, diplomatic, economic and military capabilities, but also the pursuit of peaceful development.

We always stress that China's development has offered dividends for its neighboring countries. Such dividends cannot only be economic. China should help countries such as North Korea and Myanmar to take the route of opening-up.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said recently that "China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development. In the meantime, we hope all countries in the world will pursue peaceful development."

The benefits of the Chinese dream should be felt by people from other countries. The Chinese dream should be connected with an "Asian dream," the "South Korean dream" and the "North Korean dream," and then it can become a dream that benefits the entire world.

The author is a senior editor with People's Daily. He's now stationed in Bangkok. dinggang@globaltimes.com.cn