That’s taken out of context, though. That wasn’t a pivot from the working class as a focus, that was a pivot away from the Gang of Four’s fetishization of poverty under a more direct form of Socialism as being more noble than prosperity under a more market-focused system. China has been utilizing a Socialist Market Economy to rapidly build up the productive forces, and has channeled a lot of that growth into massive expansions in poverty reduction and infrastructural improvements for the good of all.

They didn’t pull an entire 180, they course corrected from Left-Deviationism. Ironically, the Gang of Four had taken on an idealist stance, rather than materialist, by treating higher levels of socialization of the Productive Forces as inherently superior at an almost mystical level, rather than as a course in material development that becomes more suitable the more advanced industry becomes. This goes against Marx.

Put another way, what would you consider a pivot that the CPC could make to turn it “authentically Marxist?” Is this pivot even feasible, or advisable? We can always critique, the CPC for sure has valid criticism that can be made, but I wouldn’t say that takes away from its Marxist character.