BANGKOK, Oct 3 — When China opened its first overseas air force base this week, a joint facility in isolated Laos, it was sending a signal — its foreign military foothold is set to grow, analysts said.
Beijing has long sought to increase its influence across Asia-Pacific, competing with Washington and its allies over crucial shipping routes and undersea resource exploration, including in the disputed South China Sea.
Under leader Xi Jinping, the world’s second-largest economy has sought to modernise its military, ramping up defence spending and pressure on Taiwan, which it claims.
Until now, installations abroad were primarily naval bases.
The Joint Flight Training and Support Centre in Laos is the “first air force base that China has abroad”, said Joshua Kurlantzick, a South-east Asia expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.
