Chinese Military in Laos: Joint Pilot Training Center Opens at Ban Keun

China and Laos opened the jointly operated China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center and Friendship Aviation Academy at Ban Keun, about 50 kilometers north of Vientiane, on September 29. Beijing describes the new airfield complex as a facility for training Lao pilots, while satellite imagery shows a paved runway, taxiway, apron and additional construction. Neither government has disclosed personnel levels, aircraft or access terms, leaving analysts to debate whether the site will remain a training academy or become a persistent logistics and support point for China's military in Southeast Asia.