Asia Defense | Security | East Asia | Southeast Asia

The Strategic Implications of China’s Military Facility in Laos

Ban Keun poses only a limited direct threat to the South China Sea or Taiwan, but it will enhance China’s ability to place pressure on U.S. naval forces.

A PLA Air Force J-10 fighter takes part in the 2021 International Army Games.

China inaugurated an air force support and training center in Laos on September 29, marking China’s third overseas military facility. Analysts have noted that the arrangement could expand the People’s Liberation Army’s military presence in Southeast Asia and strengthen China’s regional interests, although there is currently no evidence that Beijing has deployed large-scale forces at the site.

According to China’s Ministry of National Defense, the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center and the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy have formally begun operations at Ban Keun Airport. The two facilities are mainly intended to assist in the training of Lao Air Force pilots and will be jointly maintained and operated by China and Laos. Beijing has not disclosed details regarding the number of Chinese personnel or the equipment stationed there.

China has emphasized that the facilities comply with the laws of both countries and with international law, and that they are “not directed against any third party.”

Ban Keun Airport is significant because it is China’s first publicly acknowledged overseas military facility centered on airpower. This differs from China’s overseas facilities in Djibouti and Cambodia, which have largely been associated with naval operations.

China’s continued use of the “joint training center” model – also used in Cambodia – suggests that the PLA may be pursuing a gradual approach to expanding its overseas military presence. Ban Keun Airport may initially operate as a jointly used China-Laos facility, while allowing the Chinese presence to increase over time.

Geographically, Ban Keun Airport is located in Vientiane Province in northwestern Laos, around 45 kilometers from the capital, Vientiane. During the Vietnam War and the Laotian Civil War in the 1970s, the area had been part of the local airfield network used for tactical support operations, but it later ceased operations.

Satellite imagery suggests that construction work began around October last year, and by September this year the facility had already reached a considerable scale. Its longest runway is approximately 2,000 meters. From a geographic perspective, Ban Keun occupies an important location near the center of mainland Southeast Asia. It is also........

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