China's Ministry of National Defense announced that the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center and China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy are operational at Laos' Ban Keun airport, some 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of the capital Vientiane, Reuters reported on Sept. 30. Both institutions will train Laotian air force pilots and are jointly maintained and operated by the two militaries, though the extent of Chinese staffing, equipment and basing arrangements remains undisclosed.