China aiming to build military footholds in Southeast Asia: Report

New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) China is steadily expanding its area of influence in Southeast Asia through infrastructure, logistics networks and strategic partnerships aimed at establishing a military presence in the region, according to a report in Mekong News.

The report observes that instead of overtly establishing traditional overseas military bases, Beijing appears to be creating what could be described as a “dual-use network.” Ports, airfields, logistics hubs and training centres are presented as civilian or cooperative projects; yet many possess the infrastructure necessary for future military applications.

The report cites the latest example of Laos, where a newly operational China-Laos Joint Support and Training Centre at Ban Keun has raised serious questions about whether China has secured its first fully fledged military foothold in mainland Southeast Asia. Satellite imagery revealed rapid construction activity, military vehicles and China-made aircraft at the Ban Keun facility, which was inaugurated in September 2026, and is a historically strategic location that was once used by American forces during the Vietnam War.

For years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has promoted the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a purely economic undertaking intended to improve connectivity and stimulate growth. However, developments in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar suggest that the initiative may also serve a strategic geopolitical purpose.

Infrastructure projects financed by Chinese state banks often place recipient countries under significant debt obligations while simultaneously increasing their dependence on Beijing for investment, trade and development assistance. Over time, that dependence can translate into political leverage and strategic concessions, the report points out.

The report further highlights that Laos has become deeply integrated into China’s economic orbit. China-backed hydropower projects dominate the country’s electricity ambitions. Chinese firms hold extensive mining concessions covering copper, gold and rare earth resources.

Large agricultural zones producing bananas, rubber and timber are heavily linked to Chinese markets. Most visibly, the China-Laos high-speed railway, costing approximately $6 billion, has dramatically increased China’s strategic presence within the country.

The pattern visible in Laos can also be seen in Cambodia. Over the last decade, China has become Cambodia’s largest investor and its closest political and economic partner.

Massive Chinese financing has flowed into roads, ports, industrial zones and energy projects. At the same time, the Ream Naval Base on Cambodia’s Gulf of Thailand coastline has become a focal point of international concern. Following the 2021 military coup in Cambodia and the subsequent deterioration in relations between Myanmar and Western nations, China’s influence has expanded once again, the report added.

–IANS

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