UNITED NATIONS - North Korea must abide by the resolutions of the UN Security Council and not add to the already tensed situation on the Korean peninsular, said Mr Liu Jieyi, China's ambassador to the United Nations.

The permanent representative to the UN was speaking at a Security Council emergency meeting on Pyongyang's latest missile test launch on Tuesday (July 4), Xinhua news agency reported.

The missile tested on that day has confirmed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Mr Liu said called North Korea's missile launch an unacceptable and "flagrant violation" of other Security Council resolutions, New York Times reported.

He called on all antagonists in the crisis to "exercise restraint, avoid provocative actions and belligerent rhetoric".

"We strongly urge the DPRK to strictly abide by the resolutions of the Security Council and put a stop to any rhetoric and action that might further exacerbate the tension on the Peninsula," he said, as quoted by Xinhua.

DPRK is the official name for North Korea that stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Mr Liu also pushed Beijing's alternative proposal for talks based on a freeze of North Korea's missile and nuclear tests, in exchange for a halt to US-South Korean military drills, Agence France-Presse reported.

In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, China and Russia urged for dialogue and the "dual track" approach proposed by Beijing to cool down the current situation, Xinhua reported.

At the UN emergency meeting, Mr Liu stressed that "military means must not be an option in this regard", according to Xinhua.