Studying the impact of openness to the outside world on economic growth within a geographic context is crucial for understanding both the role of international trade as an engine of economic development and the influence of geographic proximity on regional economic integration. This paper empirically analyses the impact of China’s opening to the outside world on economic growth by using panel data from 1997 - 2023, spatial econometric models, and three types of heteroscedasticity analysis. The findings are as follows: (1) China’s opening to the outside world generally has a positive impact on economic growth. However, it shows a negative spatial spillover effect, while economic growth exhibits a positive spatial spillover effect. (2) By examining the impact of China’s openness to the outside world on economic growth during different historical periods, it is revealed that globalization plays a significant positive role in the economic effects of openness, though major emergencies can weaken this effect. Additionally, spatial spillovers from economic growth vary over time, with opening up producing varying degrees of negative spatial spillovers at different times. (3) In terms of foreign trade, the role of imports in promoting economic growth is significantly stronger than that of exports. The positive spatial spillover effect of economic growth and the negative spatial spillover effect of foreign trade are both more pronounced during the import process compared to the export process. (4) Opening up to the outside world has contributed most to economic growth in the services sector, followed by industry and agriculture. Simultaneously, positive spatial spillovers from economic growth are highest in the service sector, while negative spatial spillovers are also most significant in the service sector, followed by agriculture and industry.