I don't think it's "buying into a narrative." The Western powers fought wars on Chinese soil and carved out extra-territorial benefits for themselves. The costs and benefits to China can be debated, but not the reality of some loss of sovereignty. (Very interesting, nuanced explanations of these cs&bs in regard to Shanghai can be viewed in the City Museum in the Jin Mao Tower.)

But the CCP does claim all of the national territorial benefits of a much longer 2000+ years of dynastic (imperialist) expansion (and aspiration) without paying any of the dynastic debts. Given its current territorial and maritime disputes with so many of its neighbors, China is arguably the leading "imperialist" country in the world.