China Opens First Overseas Air Training Center

China says a joint military training center and aviation academy are operating at Ban Keun Airport in Laos to train Lao air force pilots, with the facilities jointly maintained and run by the two countries. The site is Beijing’s third acknowledged overseas military outpost, after facilities in Djibouti and Cambodia, and its first focused on air operations; satellite imagery shows a paved runway, taxiway, apron and new buildings. China says the cooperation is not aimed at any third party, while analysts say the support center could give Beijing more persistent logistical access in Southeast Asia; the ministry has not disclosed what personnel or equipment will be based there.