Seoul, May 27 (IANS): The UN Security Council (UNSC) has failed to pass a resolution to impose additional sanctions on North Korea for its recent missile tests due to opposition by China and Russia.

Thirteen members of the 15-member Council voted in favour of the US-proposed resolution on Thursday, reports Yonhap News Agency.

China and Russia, both veto power-wielding permanent members of the Council and close allies of North Korea, voted against the resolution, effectively blocking its passage.

Washington proposed the new sanctions resolution after North Korea staged 16 rounds of missile launches since the start of the year.

Pyongyang fired three ballistic missiles, including an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile, earlier this week, marking its 17th show of force of the year.

In a prebuttal to Thursday's scheduled UNSC vote, China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said Beijing would oppose any attempt to create confrontation or tension in Northeast Asia.

"We do not think additional sanctions will be helpful in responding to the current situation," he told reporters in New York earlier in the day.