China’s military pact with N. Korea looks shaky May 3, 2017 by Admin Then-Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung (L) and Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, led countries whose relationship Mao said was as “close as lips and teeth” but analysts question whether their 1961 defence pact would hold in the event of another war. The United States has sent its aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson to the area as part of an effort to ramp up the pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile programme. Beijing fears that in the event of the collapse of the North Korean state, the border between their two countries would be swamped with people trying to flee to China. North Korea regularly parades its military through its showcase capital of Pyongyang, but while the number of personnel is huge, observers question how effective it might be in modern armed conflict.