The impact of new infrastructure construction on green high-quality development in China

New infrastructure construction (NIC) is a crucial strategic tool for economic transformation and sustainable development, generally expected to promote green high-quality development (GHQD). However, its actual effect may fall short of expectations. Using panel data from Chinese provinces (2011–2022), this study constructs a GHQD assessment framework based on the DPSIR model and employs GMM estimation to analyze the impact of NIC on GHQD. The study finds that NIC significantly inhibits GHQD, while the introduction of environmental governance can significantly mitigate this negative impact. Further analysis of NIC’s subcomponents indicates that both information infrastructure and innovation infrastructure hinder GHQD, while convergence infrastructure contributes positively. At the dimensional level, NIC significantly suppresses the Driving force (D), Impact (I), and Response (R) of GHQD, but exerts a positive influence on Pressure (P) and State (S). Moreover, the impacts of NIC subcomponents vary across different GHQD dimensions. Our findings highlight an urgent need to strengthen policy support and coordination to promote the green potential of convergence infrastructure.