By Josh Smith
Sept 29 (Reuters) – China has opened a new military support and training centre in Laos, Beijing’s Ministry of National Defence said on Tuesday, a rare overseas expansion.
• The China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center and the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy are now operational at an airport in Ban Keun, the ministry said in a statement.
• “The two institutions, jointly maintained and operated by both sides, aim to help Laos strengthen the training of its air force pilots,” the statement said.
• The ministry offered no details of what personnel, equipment or facilities would be based at the airport.
• The Laos embassy in Bangkok did not respond to a request for comment about the new facility.
• China operates another joint training and support centre at Cambodia’s Ream naval base on the Gulf of Thailand, and a logistics base in Djibouti.
• Cambodia has denied that Chinese troops are stationed at Ream, but the United States has raised concerns about an expanded Chinese presence.
• In Tuesday’s statement, China’s Ministry of National Defence said the Laos operations are “not directed against any third party and aim to help further deepen practical cooperation between the two militaries and contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the region.”
(Reporting by Josh Smith in Bangkok; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
