Communism probably doesn't take hold in China. Mao's military and political theories of Protracted People's Warfare and peasant-proletariat unity against landowners are arguably what saved the CPC even after the Long March.
I imagine more famines, likely some that happen in the 70's or even early 80's. As much as the PRC is rightfully criticized for its actions leading up to and during the Great Chinese Famine, it should be noted that the programs of industrialization and collective farming ultimately ended the cycle of famine in China. Before the Great Chinese Famine, China had approximately 2 (rounded up) recorded famines every decade; China's modern history of famines reported one beginning in 1873, 1879, 1901, 1906, 1920, 1928, 1936, 1942 (although admittedly this was due in large part to the Second Sino-Japanese War), and 1961. The programs put in place by the PRC during and after the Great Chinese Famine and China's drive towards industrialization and modernization largely pushed forward by the CPC are arguably what broke this trend, similar to how the Stalin government in the USSR ended a history of famines in Russia with the last major recorded famine being in 1946 as a direct result of the Second World War.
That being said, while famines may continue for a longer period of time, they'll likely end at some point. This universe's version of the Great Chinese Famine (which would still happen ---the causes of the famine ultimately included natural factors, such as pest infestations, drought, and the 1958 Yellow River Flood alongside poor agricultural techniques; although the CPC shouldn't be totally absolved of blame) would likely have a lower death toll, as well, given that there likely wouldn't be the Pest Extermination Campaign leading to the PRC's War against Sparrows which ultimately did more damage than anyone could've imagined even without the knowledge that sparrows weren't pests (something that the Chinese only learned in the most brutal of ways). I imagine China eventually industrializes due to American and possibly Soviet aid if the CCP is beaten early enough (i.e. before the Second Sino-Japanese War), but it's probably later than OTL. The Soviets probably split with the KMT if they end up backing the Americans in the Korean War or against Soviet influence. I imagine China reaches a recognizable industrialized status in the mid-late 70's to early 80's rather than the late 50's and early-mid 60's. Whether your opinion on it is good or bad, the Great Leap Forward was undeniably a major impetus in Chinese industrialization and led to an explosion in the industrialization, urbanization, and electrification of China, with steel production alone going from 1.3 to 23 million tons produced before and after the Great Leap and electricity improving from 7 million to 133 billion kilowatts-hour (the consumption of 1,000 watts over an hour). I imagine the KMT would maintain a policy of dirigisme similar to India and only begin moving away from indirect state control over the economy by the time they industrialize or maybe before.
The Korean War likely ends in a UN victory with either the destruction of the DPRK or it surviving as a rump state backed up by the USSR in the most remote, northeastern regions of the peninsula. If it's the latter, then it likely becomes even more extreme than OTL, especially without a friendly China on its doorstep. Whether this means it survives or not is up in the air, but I'm leaning on it collapsing after the fall of the USSR (which likely happens around the same time) and the ROK coming in to clean up the pieces. As for the broader geopolitical scene, I imagine that tensions between the ROC and USA would likely be similar to that of the PRC and USA IOTL minus the initial hostility and likely with some extra hostility near the mid-end of the Cold War. China likely still remains an ally against the USSR but that probably becomes more and more nominal as the US begins encroaching against Chinese influence in Asia and the KMT keeps up its (at least public) anti-imperialist image. Vietnam, and by extension Laos likely don't change, and it's nearly guaranteed hat Cambodia goes through no Khmer Rouge and either remains a monarchy or ultimately turns to more mainstream Marxism-Leninism with the aid of Vietnam, Laos, and probably the USSR. Peru, the Philippines, and India's own communist insurrections are going to be a lot different without a Maoist China given that the CPI-M and Shining Path are both Marxist-Leninist-Maoist organizations (not "Maoist" like you might think of; Mao Zedong Thought, Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and Marxism-Leninism-Maoism are all different things) but I imagine they'd still ultimately be Maoist given that Mao's most influential contributions to Marxism (On Contradiction and On Protracted War) all happened before the establishment of the PRC.
I wonder how a capitalist, or at least semi-capitalist, China would approach Japan during the Japanese Economic Miracle. Could we see a budding Asian economic organization between China, Japan, and maybe Korea?
