China needs to show "common sense" in dealing with North Korea following the killing of four Chinese people by a North Korean army deserter in a Chinese border town, a newspaper published by China's ruling Communist Party said Tuesday.

The North Korean soldier killed four elderly Chinese residents and injured another Chinese person on Dec. 28 last year during an apparent robbery, prompting Beijing to make a formal diplomatic complaint to Pyongyang.

In an editorial, The Global Times raised the question of why China's state-run news organizations had not reported the incident until Monday, suggesting that relations "too sensitive" between North Korea and China may be behind one of the reasons.

"The relations between China and North Korea should be exercised with common sense in state-to-state relations," the newspaper said.

Unless North Korea adapts to the common sense of relations, the paper said China should "guide" North Korea to adapt to it.

"If you didn't stick to using common sense, social confusion and discord would take place in Chinese society," the paper said.

It is not uncommon for North Korean soldiers or citizens to cross the border into Chinese towns and attempt robbery.

China is North Korea's last-remaining patron, but their traditional friendship appears to have been wearing thin because of the North's unruly behaviors. Political ties between China and its only treaty ally, North Korea, remain strained, particularly after the North's third nuclear test in February 2013.

However, few analysts believe that China will exert enough pressure on the North to give up its nuclear weapons because it could lead to the collapse of the North's regime and hurt China's national interests. (Yonhap)