For China, the Kim regime’s survival can be assured only if it follows China’s lead in reforming and opening up. But, faced with South Korea’s shining democracy and booming economy, the Chinese model is irrelevant to the North: following it would mean acknowledging the South’s supremacy on the Korean Peninsula, and thus an instant loss of legitimacy.
对中国来说，只有它跟随中国的领导，实行改革开放才能保证其生存。但是，面对韩国朝气蓬勃的民主和繁荣的经济，中国模式与朝鲜并不相契：跟随中国意味着承认韩国在朝鲜半岛的领导地位，这对金氏政权的合法性来说是沉重打击。