China has opened new defense facilities in Laos, expanding the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) overseas logistics network and footprint in Southeast Asia.
The China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center and the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy became operational at Ban Keun Airport, located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Vientiane.
Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Khamlieng Outhakayson attended the ceremony alongside a Chinese delegation.
For Pilot Practices
The centers feature a newly paved 2,000-meter (6,562-foot) runway, taxiways, aprons, and hangars built on farmland near a former American military airstrip, according to South China Morning Post.
Work on the infrastructure reportedly began in 2025 and continued until early September.
Neither country disclosed the number of personnel or specific capabilities fielded at the location.
China’s Ministry of Defense said the jointly maintained institutions will help the Southeast Asian country train its air force pilots, emphasizing the site is “not directed against any third party” and aims to deepen practical military cooperation.
Meanwhile, analysts noted that the facilities could also serve as a logistics hub, providing sustained assistance to warfighters deployed across the region.
The facility marks China’s second defense installation in Southeast Asia, joining the support center at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base in the Gulf of Thailand, along with its primary overseas logistics installation in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.