Toward Decline
China opens training center with Laos, marking third overseas military base
Breaking Defense Institutional·2026-09-30PLAP5: Strategic DecouplingP6: Defence SurgeP7: Alliance Architecture
Why it matters
China's third overseas military base and second in Southeast Asia extends PLA power projection capacity and forward-deployed logistics in Australia's near region, narrowing the strategic space and complicating Indo-Pacific contingencies. The Laos foothold (combined with Cambodia's Ream facility) creates a military presence astride regional sea-lanes and air corridors critical to Australian trade and defence operations.
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