A new joint military training facility in Laos could give Beijing a lasting foothold in mainland Southeast Asia even without an immediate boost to its combat power, analysts told Radio Free Asia. Beijing and Vientiane opened a joint support and training center and an aviation academy at Ban Keun, about 50 kilometers north of the Lao capital, on Sept. 29. Beijing says the facility will train Lao air force pilots and it will be maintained by both countries. The airfield, once complete, would be China’s second joint military outpost in…
Day: October 20, 2026
US bans use of China’s DeepSeek AI tools by government agencies
The US government on Monday ordered its agencies to stop using artificial intelligence (AI) tools from Chinese startup DeepSeek, as the countries race for dominance in the fast-moving sector. A notice from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the ban on products developed by DeepSeek – and tools created using DeepSeek by third parties – saying they must be removed from IT devices. The DHS can issue direction to civilian agencies but not the military or intelligence services. The US defense department did not respond to an AFP request…