Exactly. I agree with the article but there is nothing quasi about this. It's straight up communism.
Before Mao, Confucianism was used to give a kind of human face to what is called Chinese "legalism" (a name for Chinese authoritarianism by a group mafia-like capi/dons who are controlled by a capo di tutti capi or godfather).
Mao found that communism/Leninism works much better than Confucianism. Much easier to exert dictatorial top-down control with communism than with Confucianism.