High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! U.S. President Richard Nixon`s 1972 visit to the People`s Republic of China was an important step in formally normalizing relations between the United States and the People`s Republic of China. It marked the first time a U.S. president had visited the PRC, who at that time considered the U.S. one of its staunchest foes. The visit has become a metaphor for an unexpected or uncharacteristic action by a politician.