China is expanding its military presence in Southeast Asia, with satellite imagery showing light attack aircraft and military vehicles at a newly established China-Laos joint training facility near Vientiane.
Images taken on September 30 by commercial satellite provider Vantor show what security analysts believe are eight K-8 light attack jets and more than two dozen support vehicles on a runway that is still under construction.
China opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti in 2017 and has also developed a military presence at Cambodia’s Ream naval facility.
The new Ban Keun airport is located in northwestern Vientiane province, approximately 45 km north of the Laotian capital. Situated in the centre of the Indochina peninsula, the airfield previously served as a tactical support site within the US network of airstrips in Laos during the Laotian Civil War and the Vietnam War era. It ceased active operations after the conflicts.
The facility at Ban Keun, approximately 50 km north of the Laotian capital, was announced by China and Laos on September 29. China’s Defence Ministry said the centre would support training for Laotian air force pilots and would be operated jointly by both countries.
The satellite images also show extensive construction around the runway, with analysts monitoring the site for signs of air-defence systems, ammunition and fuel storage facilities, and surveillance infrastructure.
Rachel Vandenbrink, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the location was “likely more about a target of opportunity than filling an obvious operational need”.
“Laos does have some geostrategic value as an accessible foothold in mainland Southeast Asia, given its shared border with China and infrastructure links, including (its) railway,” she said.
The K-8 aircraft, also known as the Hongdu JL-8, are used for training and light attack missions and are operated by both China and Laos. Laos has four of the aircraft, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ annual assessment.
China’s Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Lao embassy in Bangkok and Laos’ foreign ministry also did not immediately respond.
Joshua Kurlantzick of the Council on Foreign Relations described the facility as China’s “first air force base that China has abroad”, while cautioning that further overseas facilities could follow.
