Why Chinaโs new air force base in Laos could rattle Vietnam
A newly opened China-backed air force training centre in Laos could unsettle Vietnam, even as it aims to modernise Vientianeโs military and balance defence ties among Beijing, Moscow and Hanoi, observers say. Chinaโs National Defence Ministry said last Tuesday that the joint support and training facility at Ban Keun Airport in the Laotian capital would strengthen the expertise of local air force pilots and was โnot directed against any third partyโ. โThe establishment and operation of the two...