They said the PRC is as far from communism as the US is. Considering the PRC is a rising socialist country and the US is a dying capitalist empire, it follows that China is much further along in development.

Either way, the PRC is a state where the proletariat is in power. The authority of the state is used to suppress the bourgeoisie and resolve class conflicts in favor of the proletariat. The success of this is seen in high perceptions of democracy in China. The US, on the other hand, wields its authority in favor of the bourgeoisie, showing lower perceptions of democracy among the people.

The only way beyond the concept of "authoritarianism" is the abolition of the state, and that can only be accomplished by eliminating class, and that can only be accomplished via full collectivization of the economy on a global scale. We're a long way off from there, so it's best to have the proletariat in control until then.

You do realize there are communists other than you, right? Or is that the royal we?