It's been over a month since North Korea hosted its seventh Workers' Party Congress, the first in 36 years. Opinions and interpretations over the gathering differ throughout the international community. But during the very meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced that his country was "a responsible nuclear state," raising its own nuclear principle as a nuclear power.

Although Pyongyang is currently claiming that it is simultaneously pursuing economic and nuclear development, the truth is it attaches greater importance to nuclear weapons than the economy.

Domestically, being a nuclear state is a symbol of legitimacy for the regime as well as an effective measure to consolidate political power. In the global arena, nuclear weapons are a guarantee of the regime's long-term existence. In May 2012, Pyongyang already called itself a nuclear-armed state in its constitution.

The seventh congress has made one thing clear to the world - North Korea will never give up nuclear weapons; in other words, North Korea's nuclear development is not reversible. It will spare no effort in developing nuclear arms as well as ballistic missiles in order to become a genuine nuclear state, rather than simply promoting such development as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the US and other countries.

Most of the stakeholders in Northeast Asia are calling for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. However, all the measures the international community so far adopted have failed to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program.

The Chinese government has long proposed restarting the Six-Party Talks. It has also raised a dual-track negotiation approach, which includes simultaneous talks on denuclearization of the peninsula and a peace treaty. In theory, this way can work, and could even be the best plan so far.

In the meantime, the Chinese government is also strictly implementing the UN 2270 resolution. The list of goods China has banned to import to this neighbor is within the scope of the resolution. On the North Korean nuclear issue, China has done its utmost.

The North Korean nuclear crisis, now over two decades old, is a  result of the Cold War, North Korea-US relations, and Pyongyang-Seoul ties. But ultimately, it is created by Pyongyang and Washington.

The key to solving the problem is in US hands. Whether the dual-track approach proposed by China can be activated depends on North Korea and the US, especially the latter.

If the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula cannot be reached soon through negotiations, the nations involved will have to adjust their policy and even find a new strategy toward Pyongyang.

The reason North Korea has willfully pursued nuclear development over the past 20 years despite international opposition, economic sanctions and a domestic sluggish economy is the goal of forcing the world to recognize its status as a nuclear power. Pyongyang hopes to raise its global status and gain leverage in direct negotiations with the White House.

There is no way for the international community to recognize North Korea's nuclear state status for now. Yet it has to face up to the truth that Pyongyang has always been trying to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. We can no longer keep burying our heads in the sand on this matter.

For the moment, the most important issue is to evaluate and deal with all the problems triggered by North Korean nuclear ambitions. Taking precautions is also needed.

It is not too early to make plans for the possibility of the country's fifth nuclear test. What political, economic and even military measures should the international community carry out by then, and which country should initiate those strategies?

If the world can eventually convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear project and achieve the goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, it would without question be the best outcome. But if the plan fails, what should be the next step? More options should be put on the table to make Pyongyang realize the severity of the problem.

As a knot that has been tangled over a very long time, the North Korean nuclear crisis cannot be resolved overnight. Nevertheless, everybody involved must also have more faith in the future and do more to tackle the difficulties.

The author is deputy editor of the Global Times. This article is based on his speech at a recent symposium on North Korea nuclear issue organized by the Asian Research Center at Nankai University. chenping@globaltimes.com.cn