The Black Panthers and The CCP

I just watched a fascinating documentary on the death of one of the most prominent members of the Black Panther Party, Fred Hampton. Among numerous other intriguing facts, I learned the extent to which the Black Panther's ideology was borrowed from the Chinese model of Socialism. I always knew that the Panthers had been a leftist organization but really never appreciated how much they were influenced by Chairman Mao's brand of Marxism. It is very interesting to me that the Panthers would choose to follow the model of the relatively nascent CCP instead of going with the firmly established Soviet model. Does anyone know if the Panther's had any direct contact with the CCP and if so to what extent? If you're interested in watching the documentary you can find it on (god love it) YouTube under the title The Murder of Fred Hampton or by clicking on this link.