FLASHBACK: Before Belt & Road or FOCAC, there was Chairman Mao. In the 1950s–70s, China saw Africa not as a market but as a revolutionary ally. The bond was forged in political struggle, not trade. Let’s take a look back at where it all began. 👇 Mao’s China didn’t approach Africa with investment brochures. It came with radio kits, ideology, and a handshake for liberation. At a time when colonial powers still clung to Africa, China backed its freedom movements—openly and actively. /2