If the person saying it is a leftist, they mean authoritarian leftists, the sort of people who unironically praise Mao and are very positive towards modern-day China. If the person saying this is more right-wing, replace "tankie" with "commie scum" when you're reading and you'll get what they mean just fine.
You're correct in that the usage of the term tankie is largely identical to rightwing anti-communism. Thinking that being a Maoist is the same as supporting modern day China is pretty wild as far as political takes go, though. You're missing several decades of leftist infighting history both in China and the West there.
If the person saying it is a leftist, they mean authoritarian leftists, the sort of people who unironically praise Mao and are very positive towards modern-day China. If the person saying this is more right-wing, replace "tankie" with "commie scum" when you're reading and you'll get what they mean just fine.
You're correct in that the usage of the term tankie is largely identical to rightwing anti-communism. Thinking that being a Maoist is the same as supporting modern day China is pretty wild as far as political takes go, though. You're missing several decades of leftist infighting history both in China and the West there.
Accurate as fuck