China opens military facilities in Laos: Reasons for Vietnam's concern?

China establishes military facilities in Laos: Reasons for Vietnam's concern? China has recently put into operation the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center and the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy in Ban Keun, located about 50km from the capital Vientiane. The event was announced by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense on September 29th, emphasizing that these facilities "do not target any third party" and affirming that the newly opened facilities contribute to strengthening the actual cooperation between the two armies and maintaining peace and stability in the region. China stated that these two facilities are jointly managed and operated by both countries, with the aim of supporting Laos in improving pilot training, but did not disclose details about personnel, equipment, or facilities that will be allocated there. This is China's third military facility abroad and the second in Southeast Asia. China also operates a joint training and support center at the Ream naval base in Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand, as well as a military logistics base in Djibouti in Africa. According to Reuters, Rachel Vandenbrink, a senior expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), opined that the construction of a joint support and training center indicates that the Chinese military (PLA) may want to establish a long-term logistical base in Laos to support rotating forces operating in the region. The Ban Keun area was previously used by the US during the Vietnam War. Satellite images obtained by Reuters show that the new facility, built from late 2025, is much larger than the previous dirt runway. By September 2026, this area has developed paved runways, taxiways, runways, and many new facilities. Reuters quoted Collin Koh, a security expert from the S. Rajaratnam International Institute of Research (Singapore), saying that the facility in Laos has more similarities to China's military bases in Djibouti than to the Ream naval base in Cambodia. Mr. Koh opined that this could be the first fully established foreign military base of the PLA in Southeast Asia. Brian Hart, Deputy Director of the China Power project at CSIS, stated that Ban Keun is the first foreign military facility openly acknowledged by China as having an aviation focus, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) of Hong Kong. He noted that this facility may have started as a cooperation project with Laos but will gradually expand into an important location for Beijing's military presence, similar to how China has continuously upgraded its bases in Djibouti after putting them into operation. He observed that the rapid pace of construction indicates that China's military capability in this area could be significantly expanded in the future. According to an article on The Diplomat, analysts suggest that the facility in Ban Keun could change the strategic balance in Southeast Asia by pushing Laos and Cambodia further away from Vietnam's traditional sphere of influence. Meanwhile, according to a view with Bloomberg, researcher Nguyen Khac Giang from ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (Singapore), if Ban Keun becomes a springboard for the PLA's permanent presence in Laos, it is "worth concern" for Vietnam. Mr. Giang believes that, along with China's increasing presence in Cambodia and the South China Sea, the new facility could help Beijing increase its influence over strategic approaches around Vietnam, increasing surveillance and exerting pressure in the event of a crisis. Vietnam has not yet made any comments on the activities of these military facilities. Meanwhile, Thailand, an alliance of the US and with a long border with Laos, stated that whether to allow or not allow China to build bases is the sovereign right of Vientiane, Reuters reported. The spokesperson for the Thai Ministry of National Defense, Lieutenant General Surasant Kongsiri, said Bangkok will continue to closely monitor the situation, especially developments related to building trust among the parties. Earlier, in April 2025, regarding Cambodia's completion of upgrading the Ream naval base, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang emphasized that Vietnam respects the independence and sovereignty of Cambodia and supports this country to develop peace, stability, and be a responsible member of the international community. Cambodia has long rejected accusations that the Chinese military is permanently stationed at the Ream base. However, the US has repeatedly expressed concern about China's increasing presence there. Military attachés and analysts have long argued that China's network of foreign bases does not correspond to the pace of modernization of this country's military nor its ambition to expand global power projection to compete with the US. However, Timothy Heath, research director of Perceptum, stated that these facilities should not be compared to the US's global military base network. According to this expert, the foreign facilities of China currently do not have comparable operational and defense capabilities, according to the SCMP. Mr. Heath added that China also does not have military alliances with the host countries, adding that the actual presence of the Chinese military in Ban Keun will depend on the scale of troop deployment, aircraft, and the right to use these facilities in the future. In addition to Djibouti and Cambodia, China currently maintains three major outposts on the Terai, Shan, and Xusu mountains in the Spratly Islands, which Vietnam claims sovereignty over. These entities in the South China Sea have been renovated and developed since 2014 and are now equipped with harbors, surveillance systems, air defense capabilities, and large residential areas. According to military attachés' assessments, these facilities have helped China significantly expand the activities of its naval, coast guard, and maritime militia forces in the maritime areas of Southeast Asia. In August and September, Reuters recorded further construction activities in the Paracel Islands, an area currently controlled by China but claimed by Vietnam.