The more I read about state capitalism, the vaguer it seems.

an economic system where the government plays a central role by managing key industries and manipulating market outcomes

is the most coherent definition I can find. Examples

• the centrally planned, command economy of the USSR with wage labor
• the liberalized market economy of the PRC with some large state industries, a strong private sector, foreign investment, market-based trade
• the Norwegian economy with state ownership of the oil industry & some companies and ownership stake in large, publicly traded companies
• United States with its publicly funded bailouts & recent state ownership stake in some publicly traded companies.

Some economists argued it’s merely state socialism & planned economy relabeled.

Whatever it is, communist states like USSR & China have long claimed they’re transitional.

Communism is by definition a stateless, classless society.

No, that’s a communist society, a purely unsubstantiated, speculative, moneyless, post-scarcity utopia that has never once been realized & probably never will. Belongs in the realm of mythology.

Communism is the ideology whose goal is the creation of a communist society. Much like Christianity with the 2nd coming of Christ, adherents insist it’ll happen someday inevitably. No possible way their great prophet Marx was wrong.

A communist state (also known as a Marxist–Leninist state) is a government consisting of a socialist state following Marxist–Leninist political philosophy with a dictatorial ruling class that promises to achieve a communist society. Unfortunately, while belief systems like Judaism had the sense to warn adherents against trying to force their dream utopia prematurely, Marx lacked such sense to urge the crazies against it.

Regardless, the overzealous failures here are some strain of communist: they follow the ideology.