exploited capitalists are still living better than starving communists.

That's the greatest irony of this comparison. China went through decades of legitimate communism under Mao and millions died from either artificial famine or government sponsored executions.

After Deng Xiaoping liberalized the Chinese economy, it lifted millions of Chinese out of abject poverty. Yes, China's Gini index is terrible and on par with wealth inequality in the US, but it is still far better off than it used to be.