April 7 (Bloomberg) -- China’s government said it wants a “prudent response” from the United Nations Security Council to North Korea’s missile test to help maintain calm.

“A satellite is different in nature from a missile launch or a nuclear test and also involves the country’s right to the peaceful use of space,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular briefing in Beijing today. The U.S., Japan and South Korea have refuted North Korea’s claim it sent a satellite into orbit.

China may support a draft resolution that affirms earlier sanctions intended to deter North Korea from firing missiles, Mexican and Costa Rican ambassadors on the panel said yesterday after discussions in New York. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the April 5 launch “has grave implications.”

The U.S. says the test violated a UN resolution prohibiting North Korea from developing missile technology. President Barack Obama called it a provocation that “underscores the need for action” from the UN.

China and Russia initially resisted U.S. and Japanese calls for tougher sanctions at an emergency Security Council meeting on April 5. They can both veto a UN resolution, increasing the likelihood of prolonged negotiations.

China, North Korea’s biggest trading partner, participates in six-nation talks aimed at eliminating Kim Jong Il’s nuclear weapons program. South Korea, the U.S., Japan and Russia are also involved in the negotiations.

While North Korea said it successfully launched a Kwangmyongsong-2 satellite, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said “no object entered orbit.”

Russia can’t find evidence of a North Korean satellite orbiting the Earth, Interfax news agency cited an unidentified member of the General Staff as saying in Moscow yesterday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Heejin Koo in Seoul at hjkoo@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 7, 2009 03:47 EDT