Malaysia shouldn’t see China’s new Laos base as threat, says analyst
Thaha Albana Turmuzi says whether the issue would become more significant for Malaysia and Asean depends on the exact purpose of the facilities.
A foreign policy analyst advises Malaysia not to view China's new military base in Laos as a threat without further information. The base, located about 50km north of Vientiane, is a joint military support and training centre that includes a new airfield and an aviation academy. China claims it will be used to train Lao air force pilots.
Thaha Albana Turmuzi, a research officer at Bait Al Amanah, suggests Malaysia seek more details from Laos through diplomatic and ASEAN channels. He emphasizes the importance of transparency over publicly pressuring Laos. Malaysia should initially regard the arrangement as a sovereign bilateral relationship between Laos and China, rather than viewing it as a threat.
The analyst also warns that Malaysia and ASEAN should monitor the development of the arrangement. If the military and infrastructure cooperation expands, the situation could become more significant for the region. Thomas Daniel, a senior fellow at ISIS Malaysia, adds that China's new facility in Laos seems to be a smaller step to deepen defense ties and political influence in the region.
The bigger concern for ASEAN, according to Daniel, is whether the grouping can avoid being pulled apart by the growing rivalry between China and the US.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
- Malaysia shouldn’t see China’s new Laos base as threat, says analyst freemalaysiatoday.com
