Military force cannot resolve tension over North Korea, China said Thursday, while an influential Chinese newspaper urged the North to halt its nuclear program in exchange for Chinese protection.

Concerns have been growing that North Korea could soon conduct a sixth nuclear test or carry out more missile launches in defiance of U.N. sanctions and stark warnings from the United States that a policy of patience is over.

With a U.S. aircraft carrier group steaming to the area in a show of force and tensions rising, fears of a confrontation have been rising.