But for thousands of villagers living in northern Myanmar, close to the Chinese border, there is another anniversary that no-one can celebrate. It is 10 years since they were kicked off their land for a $3.6 billion dam, an unfinished project backed by Beijing that dogs relations between the two neighbours.
Construction of the dam was suspended in 2011 after a public outcry over evictions and expected environmental damage, which included the flooding of an area the size of Singapore, but villagers have not been allowed to return home, and Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi has indicated it could still move ahead.
An open letter from dozens of Kachin civil society groups published a day ahead of Xi’s arrival called on the Chinese leader to permanently scrap the project and said broader Chinese investment in the region, including massive banana plantations, had had a “broad social and environmental impact including land problems and threats to nature and historical sites.”
Protesters plan to gather outside the Chinese embassy in Yangon on Saturday to oppose the “exploitation of natural resources” in Myanmar, including the Myitsone project. China has defended Myanmar on the global stage and is viewed as the biggest obstacle to a prosecution of its leaders at an international war crimes tribunal. China is the second biggest investor in Myanmar, after Singapore.