China has blocked a UN Security Council statement condemning North Korea's latest missile tests, it emerged on Tuesday.

Beijing insisted on linking the issue with the U.S.' planned deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery in South Korea.

The UNSC failed to find a form of words acceptable to all permanent members, which it had been seeking since the North launched several mid-range ballistic missiles on Aug. 3, because the other members led by the U.S. rejected China's demand.

China reportedly said the THAAD deployment in South Korea is a security threat on a par with the North's missile launches.

This suggests that the UNSC will find it difficult to maintain sanctions against the North despite continuing provocations.

On Monday, China submitted a revision to the U.S.-drafted statement, which had been passed around to the 15 UNSC members for review, after demanding several extensions of the review deadline.

The revision stated that "related countries" should not carry out any acts that could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula, nor deploy any new missile defense system in Northeast Asia under the pretext of holding North Korea's missiles and nuclear weapons in check, according to diplomatic sources.

The other members demurred.

Russia, which is also nervous about the THAAD deployment, reportedly did not oppose the U.S. draft.

Security Council statements need to be adopted unanimously by the five permanent and 10 temporary member states.

