Full Breakdown
China Opens New Military Training Center in Laos, Extending Its Regional Footprint
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New Joint Support and Training Center at Ban Keun
China and Laos formally inaugurated the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center at Ban Keun Airport north of Vientiane “late last month.” The facility, co-maintained by the two governments, includes the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy and is intended to train Lao Air Force pilots. It represents the first dedicated Chinese air-force foothold overseas, adding to Beijing’s limited network of foreign bases, which began with a base in Djibouti in 2017 and a Chinese-expanded naval facility in Cambodia’s Ream Bay.
Strategic Context and Regional Implications
Analysts view the center as a signal of Beijing’s expanding security presence in mainland Southeast Asia. The United States retains broader Indo-Pacific access through allies such as the Philippines, Japan and Australia, while China has historically lacked comparable overseas installations. The landlocked location limits the site’s utility for power projection, but it could allow the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to station advisers, trainer aircraft and preposition equipment.
Official Statements & Responses
“The two institutions … are not directed against any third party and aim to help further deepen practical cooperation between the two militaries and contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the region,” — the Chinese Defense Ministry. Laos’ long-standing non-aligned foreign policy, in place since 1986, has historically avoided hosting foreign bases, a point noted by historian Simon Creak.
Criticism & Opposition
Security analysts warn that the center may shift the strategic balance. Euan Graham, senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, described the development as creating for Vietnam “Hanoi has always perceived the Indochinese peninsula as within its sphere of influence, offering a buffer against external aggressors, especially given Vietnam's narrow midriff,” — Euan Graham. Collin Koh of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University cautioned that the landlocked geography constrains the base’s operational usefulness for PLA power projection.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The two institutions … are not directed against any third party and aim to help further deepen practical cooperation between the two militaries and contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the region,” — the Chinese Defense Ministry
- “Hanoi has always perceived the Indochinese peninsula as within its sphere of influence, offering a buffer against external aggressors, especially given Vietnam's narrow midriff,” — Euan Graham