Vietnam says China-Laos military cooperation must follow international law

China Opens Joint Military Training Facility in Laos

China has formally inaugurated a joint military support and training center at an airfield in Ban Keun, near the Lao capital of Vientiane. The facility, which the Chinese defense ministry confirmed began operations in September, marks a significant deepening of security ties between Beijing and its Southeast Asian neighbor. While the Chinese government maintains the site is strictly for training Lao air force pilots and is “not directed against any third party,” the development has sparked immediate regional scrutiny regarding the expansion of the People’s Liberation Army’s footprint in the Indochinese Peninsula.

Vietnam’s foreign ministry addressed the development on Thursday, emphasizing that cooperation between nations must remain transparent and grounded in established international legal frameworks. During a regular press briefing, spokesperson Pham Thu Hang stated that Vietnam expects Laos to develop in a “peaceful, independent and self-reliant manner,” according to Reuters. Hang emphasized that such security arrangements should align with the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the principles of the United Nations Charter.

China opens joint military training center in LaosーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS

Strategic Implications for the People’s Liberation Army

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told NHK that the airfield will likely be used exclusively by the Laotian air force and the Chinese military. Koh noted that the site carries the potential to function as a base for refueling and resupplying Chinese military aircraft, as well as a node for intelligence gathering, surveillance, and reconnaissance activities.

As Beijing continues to advance the Belt and Road Initiative, it has simultaneously introduced a series of defense and security initiatives aimed at what the Chinese government describes as “safeguarding overseas interests.” Koh suggested that this facility is “very likely” to become the first Southeast Asian base for the People’s Liberation Army located outside of China.

Vietnam says China-Laos military cooperation must follow international law — Photo: www3.nhk.or.jp

Ban Keun Site Establishment Shifts Regional Security Architecture

The establishment of the Ban Keun site has triggered concerns among regional observers about the shifting security architecture in Southeast Asia. Vietnam’s official position, as reported by Reuters, stresses that any international cooperation must serve as a “positive contribution to peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.” The Vietnamese government’s focus on the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation reflects a long-standing emphasis on maintaining a regional balance that prevents any single power from dominating security dynamics.

For its part, China’s defense ministry continues to characterize the facility as a tool for enhancing practical cooperation between the two nations’ militaries. The ministry maintains that the project is intended to promote regional peace and stability, even as analysts argue that the lack of commercial availability at the airfield suggests a more permanent and exclusive military utility.