Research on the impact of the digital economy on high-quality development of China’s new urbanization

In the process of Chinese modernization, the digital economy has provided new momentum and a significant engine for the high-quality development of new urbanization. Based on panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (autonomous regions/municipalities) from 2012 to 2022, this study constructs fixed-effects and mediating-effects to empirically analyze the direct and indirect transmission mechanisms of the digital economy's impact on high-quality new urbanization. The findings reveal that: (1) The digital economy exerts a significant positive driving effect on the high-quality development of new urbanization, and this conclusion remains valid after robustness tests. Such a driving effect presents obvious regional heterogeneity, showing a decreasing pattern of Eastern region > Central region > Western region > Northeast region. (2) Carbon emissions play a mediating role in the relationship between the two. The digital economy can indirectly promote the high-quality development of new urbanization by reducing carbon emissions, yet this mediating effect features regional differentiation: it is significant in Eastern and Western China, while a similar influencing trend exists but is not significant in Central and Northeast China. The research conclusions of this study provide empirical references for different regions to formulate targeted policies for the coordinated development of the digital economy and new urbanization based on local conditions, and for balancing development quality and carbon emission reduction targets.