China and Laos open pilot training center in Ban Keun — ABC News Australia
China and Laos have opened a joint support and training center at the newly built Ban Keun airfield, about 50 kilometers north of the Lao capital, Vientiane. Both countries say the facility is intended to train pilots of the Lao Air Force, ABC News reports.
China’s Ministry of Defense said the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center was officially opened on September 29. According to the ministry’s statement, the center will be jointly maintained and operated by both sides and is intended to help Laos strengthen the training of military aviation pilots. Beijing also stressed that the facility is not directed against third parties and should promote practical military cooperation and regional stability.
Aircraft already at the airfield
Satellite images analyzed by Reuters and taken on September 30 showed a runway about 2,000 meters long, eight aircraft and several vehicles at the facility. Analysts believe the aircraft are likely Hongdu JL-8s, also known as K-8s. These are two-seat trainer aircraft that can also perform light-attack missions; they are used by the air forces of China and Laos.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Laos has four such aircraft. Reuters also reported that construction work at the new facility began late last year and was still ongoing when the satellite images were obtained.
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Neighbors’ reaction and expert assessments
A spokesperson for Thailand’s Ministry of Defense, Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, told Reuters that permission for the Chinese facility is Vientiane’s sovereign right. At the same time, Thailand, which has a long border with Laos, will continue to monitor developments, including with regard to strengthening mutual trust.
Hunter Marston, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, believes the facility will be of particular concern to Hanoi, as it may indicate Beijing’s growing political influence in Laos and Cambodia. At the same time, the expert cautioned against premature conclusions: the current runway, according to researcher David Wallance, is too short for Chinese bombers, which require about 3,000 meters. Another analyst, Alexander Neill, suggested that the airfield may have been designed with the possibility of extending the runway.
Some observers call Ban Keun China’s first overseas air base. Other experts dispute this assessment, pointing to the small size of the apron and insufficient infrastructure for the long-term deployment of significant air forces. Chinese military expert Song Zhongping said the center is entirely owned by Laos, has no separate Chinese garrison and does not provide China with exclusive rights to use it.
