French President Francois Hollande came to visit China yesterday, hot on the heels of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Hollande chose Chongqing as his first stop of his visit to China.

In recent years, with the increasing number of foreign politicians visiting China, Beijing is not the only place these important foreign leaders would choose to head to. Based on development, culture, and the opportunities offered by other well-known cities, foreign politicians now put these cities on the schedule during their visit to China.

Shanghai Pudong Lujiazui (Photo/xinhua08.com)

French President Francois Hollande visits a wastewater treatment plant in Chongqin.(Photo/China News Service)

Night view of Tianjin. (Photo/Tjxinhua.com)

Development: the vitality of the modern China

Other than Beijing, Shanghai has no doubt to be ranked as the most frequently visited city by foreign politicians. This year alone , King William Alexander of Holland, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, and President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović all visited Shanghai. In the past few years, US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, the Prime Minister of Spain Mariano Rajoy, and the President of Portugal Cavaco Silva also visited Shanghai, and reached several bilateral economic agreements. Shanghai has been deemed as a city of high development and openness in China. Most of the foreign leaders would bring trade and economic cooperation groups with them while visiting Shanghai.

French President Francois Hollande first visited a wastewater treatment plant after he landed in Chongqing on Nov. 2. King William Alexander of Holland chose to visit Yan'an, French Prime Minster Manuel Valls went to Tianjin, and Guangzhou has been foreign politicians’ most frequently visited city in southern China.