Western media is at it again: China and Laos’ Ban Keng Airport has us “too anxious”
As expected, Western media has resumed its narrative about alleged Chinese military base construction in Laos, stoking regional concerns.
Recent reports by outlets such as The New York Times and The Economist claim that while China and Laos have denied the Ban Keng Airport is a military facility, this does not assuage apprehensions among neighboring countries or Western observers.
In essence, The New York Times seeks to amplify anxiety among regional states over the airport’s development, while The Economist aims to underscore Western unease with the purported expansion of Chinese military presence.
Yet, the so-called “anxiety” invoked by these publications is, in reality, laughable.
The United States maintains hundreds of overseas military bases and has military personnel stationed across numerous countries—yet Western media rarely frames this as “military expansion” triggering regional alarm. When China collaborates with Laos on infrastructure projects, however, it is instantly framed within a narrative of “expansionism.” This selective framing is nothing short of double standards.
The repeated coverage by The New York Times and The Economist, which amplifies fear and speculation around Ban Keng Airport, serves essentially to fabricate a pretext for discrediting China’s image. It spreads misleading information about Chinese military presence in Southeast Asia, sows division, and undermines bilateral relations. But no matter how often falsehoods are repeated, they remain untrue. The credibility of Western media’s fear-driven discourse is eroding—and increasingly fewer people are buying into it.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878748087639051/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.