China opens its first overseas air force base in Laos, analysts warn Beijing is only getting started
China has established a new military presence in Laos, marking a significant development in Beijing’s expanding defence relationships across Southeast Asia. The facility, located at Ban Keun, about 50 kilometres north of Vientiane, includes the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center and the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy.
The development is attracting attention because it expands China’s military footprint beyond its own borders and into mainland Southeast Asia. Chinese authorities say the facility is intended to support the training of Lao air force pilots and is not directed against any third country. However, the scale and nature of the new infrastructure have prompted regional security analysts to examine what it could mean for China’s longer-term military presence in the region.
Satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters indicates that construction began in late 2025, transforming what had previously been largely agricultural land. The site now includes a paved runway, taxiway, aircraft apron and several new buildings. The Chinese defence ministry has confirmed that the centre is operational but has not publicly provided detailed information about the personnel or military equipment that will be stationed there.
For Laos, the arrangement offers an opportunity to expand domestic military training and strengthen defence cooperation with China. Lao pilots have traditionally travelled abroad, including to China, Russia and Vietnam, for more advanced training. Having a training facility within Laos could therefore reduce some of that dependence on overseas programmes.
For China, however, the facility could have implications beyond pilot training. Security analysts cited by Reuters have suggested that the joint support and training structure could potentially provide Beijing with more persistent access to logistics infrastructure in Laos. Rachel Vandenbrink of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the facility could allow forces to rotate through the country and potentially support a small forward presence, although the precise military role remains uncertain.
The development also fits into a broader pattern of China expanding its overseas military infrastructure. Beijing established its first officially acknowledged overseas military base in Djibouti in 2017. China has also developed a joint support and training facility at Cambodia’s Ream naval base, while Chinese-controlled facilities in the disputed South China Sea include military-grade runways, ports and other infrastructure.
China’s overseas military network remains considerably smaller than that of the United States. But analysts have increasingly focused on whether Beijing is gradually developing the infrastructure needed to sustain military operations and personnel outside Chinese territory.
The Laos facility is particularly notable because of the country’s geography. Laos borders China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, placing the new centre within a strategically important part of mainland Southeast Asia. Thailand, which shares a border with Laos and maintains security relationships with both the United States and China, has said it will continue monitoring developments while recognising Laos’s sovereign authority over the decision.
There are also questions about how extensive China’s military presence will ultimately become. Analysts quoted by Reuters have pointed out that the facility’s immediate military capabilities may be limited and that it remains unclear whether Chinese personnel or combat aircraft will be permanently stationed there. One assessment cited in the report suggested that China’s ability to project military power from Laos may be limited compared with what it can already achieve from neighbouring Yunnan province.
That uncertainty is important. Describing the facility simply as another major Chinese overseas base could overlook the distinction between a training centre, a logistics hub and a permanently staffed combat installation. The available evidence confirms a new and substantial military-related facility, but the future scale of Chinese operations there is not yet fully known.
The development nevertheless represents a visible change in the security landscape of Southeast Asia. It demonstrates that defence cooperation between China and Laos is becoming more institutionalised and gives Beijing another location from which it can deepen military-to-military relationships in the region.
The wider question now is not only what China is doing at Ban Keun, but how the facility develops over the coming years. Additional aircraft, personnel, logistics infrastructure or other military capabilities would change the strategic significance of the site. For now, regional governments and security analysts are watching closely to see whether the centre remains primarily a training facility or becomes part of a broader Chinese overseas military network.
For people living far from military and diplomatic discussions, developments like this can seem distant. But changes in military infrastructure can have consequences well beyond the fence line of a single airfield. Southeast Asia sits at the centre of major trade routes and strategic competition, so even a facility officially described as a training centre can attract considerable international attention.