Modi's visit to follow the footsteps of other world leaders

US first lady Michelle Obama and her Chinese counterpart Peng Liyuan visited the Forbidden City in Beijing in 2014.[Photo/Agencies]

The three cities Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit during this trip are popular with foreign leaders.

1 Beijing: China's capital is usually where Chinese leaders meet visiting foreign leaders. In November, the country's political center hosted the APEC summit attended by leaders from countries including the United States, Russia and Japan.

Leaders who visited Beijing since 2013 include US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande.