Reuters reported on 29 September 2026 that China had opened a joint military support and training centre in Laos at Ban Keun airport, approximately 50 km north of the Lao capital Vientiane. The facility comprises the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center and the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy.
Satellite imagery showed construction had begun in late 2025, transforming what had been farmland into a large paved runway and new buildings. The new Laos facility adds to China’s existing overseas military presence at Cambodia’s Ream naval base and a logistics base in Djibouti.
Efforts Category: China-Laos Military Cooperation
