Entity
China-Laos Joint Aviation Facility (Ban Keun Airport)
Satellite imagery suggests Chinese military aircraft may be using a new joint aviation facility at Ban Keun Airport in Laos, pointing to an expansion of China's military footprint in Southeast Asia.
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Chinese military aircraft may already be using a new joint aviation facility in Laos, according to satellite imagery showing twice as many K-8/JL-8-family trainer aircraft at Ban Keun Airport than the Laotian air force is assessed to possess (SCMP, October 10). Eight of the two-seat trainer and light-attack aircraft were visible in commercial satellite imagery taken on September 30, as first reported by Reuters (SCMP, October 10). More than two dozen military and support vehicles were also visible in the imagery (SCMP, October 10).
## Why it matters
The facility would represent an expansion of Chinese military presence in mainland Southeast Asia, a region where Beijing has been deepening security and infrastructure ties. This development is likely to draw scrutiny from the US, Vietnam, and other regional actors wary of growing Chinese military reach near sensitive borders.