储百亮, JOSH HOLDER2026年10月9日China has begun operating a new air force base in Laos, marking another step in Beijing’s efforts to establish military footholds abroad and project power into Southeast Asia.中国已开始启用位于老挝的一座新空军基地。这标志着北京在海外建立军事据点、向东南亚投射军力的努力又迈出了一步。Satellite images released this week revealed that eight small military aircraft had arrived at the China-Laos Joint Logistics and Training Center, which officially opened late last month at Ban Keun, about 30 miles north of the Laotian capital, Vientiane.本周公布的卫星图像显示，八架小型军用飞机已抵达位于老挝首都万象以北约50公里处的中老两军联合保障和训练中心。该中心位于班根，于上月底正式启用。The satellite images, first reported by Reuters, showed a 1.2-mile runway at Ban Keun that could be extended, opening the possibility that the facility could host bigger aircraft that need longer takeoffs and landings.由路透社率先报道的卫星图像显示，班根有一条长约两公里的跑道，而且还有延长的空间。这意味着该设施有可能容纳需要更长起降距离的更大飞机。 The base in Laos, a landlocked country between Vietnam and Thailand, could help the Chinese air force reach across the region, including countries with which Beijing has long-running territorial tensions over the South China Sea, some experts said.一些专家表示，作为地处越南和泰国之间的内陆国家，老挝的这座基地可能帮助中国空军将行动范围扩展至整个地区，包括那些长期以来因南中国海的领土争端而与北京关系紧张的国家。China has the world’s second biggest military after the United States. The People’s Liberation Army has been expanding rapidly but has taken limited only steps to open bases in other countries: a naval facility in Cambodia and another naval support center in Djibouti, in East Africa.中国拥有仅次于美国的全球第二大军队。中国人民解放军一直在迅速扩张，但在其他国家建立军事基地的行动仍然有限：目前包括柬埔寨的一处海军设施，以及东非吉布提的一处海军保障基地。“Ban Keun is significant because it appears to be China’s first openly acknowledged overseas military facility for air power,” said Ying Yu Lin, an associate professor at Tamkang University in Taipei who studies China’s military. The new facility “sits in the center of the Indochinese peninsula, and could enable the Chinese Communist Party to easily project air power across surrounding areas.”“班根基地之所以重要，是因为它似乎是中国首个公开承认的海外空中力量军事设施，”台北淡江大学研究中国军事的副教授林颖佑说。这个新设施“位于中南半岛的中央，对中共来说，空中武力可以轻易地投射到四周”。But for now at least, the Chinese air force presence at Ban Keun is too small and isolated to have tangible military consequences, said Drew Thompson, a former Pentagon official.不过，曾任职于美国国防部的唐安竹(Drew Thompson)表示，至少目前来看，中国空军在班根的部署规模太小、太孤立，尚不足以产生实质性的军事影响。“Laos is landlocked, so a base there doesn’t give the Lao or Chinese air force unfettered access to the Indian Ocean or Gulf of Thailand,” said Mr. Thompson, who is now a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. “The threat of a joint Lao-China air force base is primarily political rather than military because it was established without consultation” with Laos’ neighbors.“老挝是内陆国家，因此在当地设立基地并不能让老挝或中国空军不受限制地进入印度洋或泰国湾，”现任新加坡南洋理工大学拉惹勒南国际研究院高级研究员的唐安竹说。“老中联合空军基地带来的威胁主要是政治上的，而非军事上的，因为基地是在没有与老挝邻国协商的情况下建立的。”The eight aircraft at Ban Keun were possibly K-8 jets, also called Hongdu JL-8, a light two-seater built by China and Pakistan that is mostly used for training, said Professor Lin. Laos’ air force has only a few dozen aircraft, including about four of the K-8 jets, according to an annual global military survey from the International Institute for Strategic Studies.林颖佑教授表示，班根基地的八架飞机可能是K-8，也称洪都JL-8。这是一种由中国和巴基斯坦联合研制的双座轻型飞机，主要用于训练。根据国际战略研究所发布的年度全球军事调查报告，老挝空军只有几十架飞机，其中包括大约四架K-8。Nearby countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore will likely watch to see if Ban Keun’s runway is lengthened to host bombers or surveillance aircraft. Many Chinese fighter jets and other aircraft can take off from runways shorter than the one at Ban Keun, but standard Chinese air force runways are often notably longer.越南、泰国和新加坡等周边国家可能会密切关注班根基地是否会延长跑道，以便容纳轰炸机或侦察机。中国许多战斗机及其他军用飞机可以在比班根现有跑道更短的跑道上起飞，但中国空军的标准跑道通常明显更长。Countries in Southeast Asia generally try to stay friendly with Beijing, while many also look to the United States to counterbalance Chinese power. Singapore and Thailand, in particular, provide logistic support for U.S. forces in the region, said Professor Lin. Vietnam, which has had acrimonious boundary disputes with China, has also turned to the United States.东南亚国家普遍试图与北京保持友好，同时许多国家也寻求借助美国来制衡中国。林颖佑教授说，尤其是新加坡和泰国，为美国在该地区的部队提供后勤支持。与中国存在激烈边界争端的越南也在向美国靠拢。Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesman for Thailand’s Ministry of Defense, said Laos had the right to decide whether to allow China to operate a base there, Reuters reported. “Nevertheless, Thailand will continue to closely monitor developments,” he said.据路透社报道，泰国国防部发言人、海军少将苏拉森·孔西里表示，老挝有权自行决定是否允许中国在那里运营军事基地。“尽管如此，泰国仍将继续密切关注事态发展，”他说。Ban Keun has been used by a foreign military before. During the Vietnam War, an airfield there served as a forward base for covert American support operations that were carried out under the name Air America.班根此前也曾被外国军队使用。越战期间，当地一座机场曾作为美国秘密支援行动的前沿基地，当时的行动代号是“美国航空”。Construction on the new base began around October 2025 and proceeded swiftly, satellite images show. By May, much of the runway was visible.卫星图像显示，新基地于2025年10月左右开始建设，并迅速推进。到今年5月，大部分跑道已清晰可见。In late September, Laotian and Chinese military officers assembled for the formal opening of the support and training center, a Chinese television report showed. China’s Ministry of National Defense said that Ban Keun was “not aimed at any third party.”中国的电视报道显示，9月底，老挝和中国军官出席了该保障和训练中心的正式启用仪式。中国国防部表示，班根基地“不针对任何第三方”。The center will be “jointly maintained by both sides” and “its construction and operation are the fruit of mutual respect and consultation on an equal basis between China and Laos,” the ministry said.中国国防部表示，该中心将“由双方共同维持正常运转”，其“建设和使用是中老两国相互尊重、平等协商的成果”。In recent decades, Laos has increasingly depended on China for investment, political support and tourism.近几十年来，老挝在投资、政治支持和旅游业方面越来越依赖中国。In January, the International Monetary Fund warned that Laos, one of Asia’s poorest and least developed nations, has a debt burden that is “unsustainable.” About half of Laos’ public debt is owed to China, which has financed a high-speed railway that largely bypasses the local population. Laos has also poured money into hydropower, and a Chinese joint venture now runs its power grid.今年1月，国际货币基金组织警告称，作为亚洲最贫穷、最不发达的国家之一，老挝的债务负担已达到“不可持续”的程度。在老挝的公共债务中，约有一半是欠中国的。中国还出资修建了一条高铁，但这条铁路基本绕过了当地民众。老挝还投入巨资发展水电产业，如今其国家电网由一家中资合资企业运营。China’s first major military foothold in Southeast Asia was at a naval base in Ream, Cambodia, which it helped expand into a deepwater base. Cambodia has lately tried to reduce its reliance on China by courting Washington, both by lauding President Donald Trump and welcoming a visit in January by an American warship.中国在东南亚的第一个重要军事据点是柬埔寨的云壤海军基地。中国帮助将其扩建为一座深水基地。最近，柬埔寨试图通过拉拢华盛顿来减少对中国的依赖，包括夸赞美国总统特朗普，以及欢迎一艘美国军舰于今年1月到访。Hannah Beech自曼谷、Amy Chang Chien in Taipei自台北对本文有报道贡献。储百亮(Chris Buckley)是《纽约时报》首席中国记者，自台北报道中国和台湾问题，重点关注政治、社会变革以及安全和军事问题。Josh Holder是《纽约时报》视觉化报道记者，常驻伦敦。翻译：纽约时报中文网点击查看本文英文版。获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site