China may be building its first overseas air-force foothold at Laos’ Ban Keun Air Base, including a new 2,000-meter runway and other infrastructure that could eventually support advanced J-10C fighters. This development comes just weeks after J-10Cs took part in Exercise Falcon Strike in nearby Thailand, while Beijing continues promoting the fighter abroad following Pakistan’s claims about its performance against India in 2025. At the same time, Taiwan is receiving new F-16Vs as the regional air-power competition intensifies. Is Ban Keun simply a training facility, or part of a wider Chinese strategy to secure persistent military access across Southeast Asia? In this episode, we examine China’s potential air base network, the J-10C’s growing role in arms diplomacy and what these developments could mean for Taiwan, India and the wider Indo-Pacific.
*Recorded on October 8, 2026 at 4:45pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host/Senior Producer: Yin Khvat
Producer: Suvam Pal
Videographer: Celest Kao
Our guests:
Shirish Deo
- Retired Air Marshal and Former Indian Air Force Vice Chief of the Air Staff
Angshu Chakraverty
- Entrepreneur and Geopolitical Strategy Expert
Guermantes Lailari
- Jewish Policy Center Senior Non-Resident Fellow
24:06
26:23
25:28
26:30
25:59
24:51
25:59
26:47
26:07
26:15
26:10
26:07
26:32
25:58
24:55
26:17