China opens a joint airfield in Laos with construction ongoing and eyes on its military role

BANGKOK (AP) — China's new airfield in Laos is a work in progress, with satellite imagery showing many areas where construction appeared to be ongoing even as it was officially opened at a September ceremony.The airport jointly run with Laos is China's first military facility abroad focused on air power and the latest project in Beijing's efforts to project force beyond its borders, which includes a base in Djibouti, the Ream naval facility in Cambodia, the rapid militarization and expansion of islands in the South China sea and a growing carrier fleet.Neighbors of Laos, a poor and landlocked Southeast Asian nation of about 8 million people, and defense experts are now keeping a close eye on the airport, less for what it currently is, but what it might become.Airfield especially concerning to VietnamLike the Ream navy base in Cambodia, the Ban Keun airport, which is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of the Laotian capital Vientiane and the Thai border, doesn't “radically alter any b