The deep integration of the digital economy and high-quality energy development is a vital breakthrough in promoting the digital transformation and upgrading of energy, and it is also a critical path to achieving green and low-carbon development. However, the degree of integration of the two has yet to be discovered. This article measures the coupling coordination degree of the digital economy and high-quality energy development using panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2020, explores the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of the coupling coordination degree, and further analyzes the driving factors of the coupling coordination degree. The results show that:(1) The coupling coordination degree shows an upward trend, but there are apparent gradient differences and spatial non-equilibrium features in the coupling coordination degree among provinces. (2) The coupling coordination degree shows a "parabolic" spatial trend of "high east and low west" in the east-west direction and an "inverted U-shaped" spatial trend in the north-south direction. (3) The center of gravity of the coupling coordination degree moves to the southwest, clustering in the northeast-southwest direction and showing a spreading trend in the southeast-northwest direction. (4) The coupling coordination degree has a significant positive spatial correlation, and the cold-hot spot gradually develops into a distribution pattern with the Yangtze River Delta in China as the agglomeration center. (5) Economic development, industrial structure, government behavior, environmental regulation, urbanization, technological innovation, and external openness significantly impact the coupling coordination degree. In addition, economic development and human capital have a positive spatial spillover effect on the coupling coordination degree. Urbanization level and technological innovation have a negative spatial spillover effect on the coupling coordination degree. Accordingly, to promote the coupling and interaction between the digital economy and high-quality energy development, the government should take effective measures in optimizing the industrial structure, scientifically promoting the urbanization process, and enhancing the scientific and technological innovation capacity.

The prosperous development of the digital economy can trigger a comprehensive green transformation from factors of production to productivity and production relationships, providing a new path for China to achieve its goals of “peak carbon emissions” and “carbon neutrality.” This paper measures the development level of the digital economy in each region using panel data of 30 Chinese provinces (autonomous regions, municipality directly under the central government) from 2007–2019, and explores the effect of the digital economy on CO₂ emissions, its transmission mechanism, and its impact characteristics through theoretical and empirical analyses. The results indicate that: (1) the development of the digital economy can effectively reduce CO₂ emissions; (2) in addition to direct effects, the digital economy can indirectly suppress CO₂ emissions by lowering energy intensity, promoting economic agglomeration, and increasing the use of robots; (3) the suppression effect of the digital economy on CO₂ emissions has significant regional heterogeneity; the digital construction in east, north, central, northeast, and southwest China has shown a better CO₂ emissions reduction effect, while the development of the digital economy in south and southwest China has not yet exerted the suppression effect on CO₂ emissions. In the next development process, it should improve the efficiency of energy use, give full effect to the positive externalities of economic agglomeration, lower the threshold of robot use and expand the application scenarios, and make full use of the green development advantages of the digital economy.

People-centered new urbanization is an important support for the Chinese path to modernization. While digital technology is being fully integrated into all fields and processes of human economic and social construction, it brings a wide and profound impact on production and life. To further examine the potential impact of the new economic form represented by the digital economy on new urbanization, this paper utilizes the panel data of 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) in China from 2011 to 2020. By employing a two-way fixed effects model and a spatial econometric model, it empirically tests the influence of the digital economy on new urbanization. It is found that: (1) The digital economy has a significant facilitating effect on the construction of new urbanization. After a series of robustness tests and endogeneity tests, this effect still holds and shows significant regional heterogeneity. (2) The mechanism test shows that the digital economy can promote the construction of new urbanization by deepening market reform and stimulating technological innovation, and in the mechanism of technological innovation, the effect of substantive innovation is more obvious. (3) With the improvement of marketisation and technological innovation, the promotional effect of the digital economy on new urbanization becomes more and more obvious. Compared with substantive innovation, progressive innovation requires more technological accumulation before the impact of the digital economy on new urbanization can undergo a leap change. (4) Further research has found that there is a spatial spillover effect of the digital economy on new urbanization, which means that the digital economy not only promotes the construction of new urbanization in the local area, but also promotes the development of new urbanization in neighboring areas. The research results of this article enrich the research on the influencing factors of new urbanization construction from the perspective of the digital economy, and provide policy recommendations for the promotion of new urbanization construction by the digital economy.