China expands military presence in Southeast Asia with two new facilities in Laos

Two joint military facilities opened in Laos in line with China’s goal to expand its overseas defence foothold in mainland Southeast Asia.

The inauguration of the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Centre and the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy at the Ban Keun Airport marked a new level of defence commitment between the two countries.

These military complexes lie roughly 25 miles north of the Laotian capital, Vientiane.

Chinese presence in Laos

According to China’s Ministry of National Defence, the centre will train Lao Air Force pilots, under a joint operation by the two countries.

In an official statement, the ministry said that the two facilities are not aimed at any third party but are an initiative to help maintain lasting peace in the region.

For years, Laos and Cambodia have been Beijing’s closest partners in Southeast Asia, with Vientiane being highly reliant on China’s economic assistance.

China, by far, is the largest bilateral creditor of Laos, with its debts estimated at 81% of its gross domestic product, according to estimates from the International Monetary Fund.

Additionally, state-owned China Southern Power Grid controls about a 90% stake in the Electricite du Laos Transmission Company that maintains the Southeast Asian nation’s electricity transmission network.

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Competing with Washington

From an operational standpoint, this two-pronged approach is designed to institutionalise military partnerships in Southeast Asia while competing with the United States.

The centre can support airpower logistics, with satellite images revealing that the site has runways, aircraft hangars, parkways, and other support infrastructure.

This allows China to project influence in the Mekong area while serving as a major security guarantor in the region.

With landlocked Laos complementing China’s maritime deployments in South China, this creates a deep security layer that could complicate operational calculations in the region by potential adversaries and rivals.

For Laos, Chinese hands-on training and logistical support are crucial to rebuilding its ailing military wing that has been lagging behind its counterparts in Southeast Asia.

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