Q1. The major defect of this study is the debate or argument is not clear stated in the introduction session. Hence, I would suggest the author to enhance your theoretical discussion and arrives your debate or argument.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. The author has rewritten the introduction as follows:

Since the initiation of China's reform and opening-up policy, the country has experienced substantial economic growth and improvement in the living standards of its people. However, this progress has come at a cost, characterized by high pollution and energy consumption, leading to the emergence of serious environmental issues such as global warming. With the economy’s continuous development, Chinese people have raised their expectations for a higher quality of life, necessitating the exploration of approaches that promote high-quality economic development while prioritizing environmental protection.

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017 acknowledged that the primary contradiction within Chinese society was unbalanced and inadequate development, along with the ever-growing needs of the people for an enhanced standard of living. The Congress proposed a shift in the economic development mode, emphasizing the need for swift high-quality economic growth. The concept of high-quality economic development encompasses diverse fields, necessitating coordinated efforts across all domains.

Scholars have extensively researched the primary challenges hindering high-quality development in China, which include uneven and insufficient economic growth. This challenge is manifested in the central and western regions of the country, which exhibit slower development than the eastern region, which has better resources and a thriving economy. To address this issue, inclusive finance has emerged as a viable solution aimed at providing effective financial services to marginalized groups such as small and micro-enterprises, low-income earners, and the poor.

In recent years, digital inclusive finance has gained prominence, driven by advancements in internet technology, promoting information dissemination, improving the coverage of inclusive finance, and facilitating poverty eradication efforts. Digital inclusive finance has the potential to identify relevant groups accurately, provide them with the necessary financial support, and ultimately promote harmonious social development and sustainable economic growth. Additionally, digital inclusive finance can contribute to the growth in household consumption, which is one of the three key drivers of economic development. Previous economic models in China were characterized by low- and medium-end consumption. However, with continued economic development, people have become increasingly interested in high-quality consumption. Consequently, household consumption has become a crucial engine of economic growth, with its continuous expansion facilitating development across all economic sectors, boosting related industries, and generating employment opportunities.

Furthermore, as household consumption continues to expand, it drives the optimization and upgrading of consumption structures. This upgrading process is marked by increasing demand for quality consumer goods and heightened attention to factors such as brand, culture, and service. These developments are important for the promotion of high-quality economic development in China.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between digital inclusive finance, consumer consumption, and high-quality economic development in China using a spatial econometric model with panel data from 30 provinces and cities. In addition to examining the linear relationships between these variables, a semi-parametric spatial lag model is employed to investigate potential non-linear relationships. This study also analyzes an analysis of the mediating and moderating effects of consumer consumption on the relationship between digital inclusive finance and high-quality economic development. Finally, to test the robustness of the results, the study also replaces the 0-1 weight matrix with an economical weight matrix. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable insights into the impact of digital inclusive finance on consumer consumption and high-quality economic development contributing to the ongoing efforts to develop a high-quality economy in China.

This study contributes significantly to the existing literature in several ways. First, it examines the association between digital inclusive finance, household consumption, and high-quality economic development from both linear and nonlinear perspectives. The semi-parametric spatial lag model used in this study enables a more comprehensive analysis of the dynamic change process, adding to the credibility of this study. Second, this study focuses primarily on investigating the relationship between digital inclusive finance, household consumption, and high-quality economic development and endeavors to explore the paths of influence among these factors, offering guidance for future scholars interested in exploring these pathways. Finally, this study expands upon prior research by not only treating inclusive finance and consumption as explanatory variables, but also examining consumption as both an intermediary and moderating variable, providing a more nuanced understanding of the relationship among these three factors.

2. Introduction. The logic of the introduction writing still needs to be strengthened, how to introduce from Digital inclusive finance, Consumer consumption to high-quality economic development. The authors need to elaborate on the core concepts of the article, explain the definition of the core concepts, and explain the practical necessity of studying high-quality economic development.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. The author has rewritten the introduction as follows:

Since the initiation of China's reform and opening-up policy, the country has experienced substantial economic growth and improvement in the living standards of its people. However, this progress has come at a cost, characterized by high pollution and energy consumption, leading to the emergence of serious environmental issues such as global warming. With the economy’s continuous development, Chinese people have raised their expectations for a higher quality of life, necessitating the exploration of approaches that promote high-quality economic development while prioritizing environmental protection.

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017 acknowledged that the primary contradiction within Chinese society was unbalanced and inadequate development, along with the ever-growing needs of the people for an enhanced standard of living. The Congress proposed a shift in the economic development mode, emphasizing the need for swift high-quality economic growth. The concept of high-quality economic development encompasses diverse fields, necessitating coordinated efforts across all domains.

Scholars have extensively researched the primary challenges hindering high-quality development in China, which include uneven and insufficient economic growth. This challenge is manifested in the central and western regions of the country, which exhibit slower development than the eastern region, which has better re-sources and a thriving economy. To address this issue, inclusive finance has emerged as a viable solution aimed at providing effective financial services to marginalized groups such as small and micro-enterprises, low-income earners, and the poor.

In recent years, digital inclusive finance has gained prominence, driven by advancements in internet technology, promoting information dissemination, improving the coverage of inclusive finance, and facilitating poverty eradication efforts. Digital inclusive finance has the potential to identify relevant groups accurately, provide them with the necessary financial support, and ultimately promote harmonious social development and sustainable economic growth. Additionally, digital inclusive finance can contribute to the growth in household consumption, which is one of the three key drivers of economic development. Previous economic models in China were characterized by low- and medium-end consumption. However, with continued economic development, people have become increasingly interested in high-quality consumption. Consequently, household consumption has become a crucial engine of economic growth, with its continuous expansion facilitating development across all economic sectors, boosting related industries, and generating employment opportunities.

Furthermore, as household consumption continues to expand, it drives the optimization and upgrading of consumption structures. This upgrading process is marked by increasing demand for quality consumer goods and heightened attention to factors such as brand, culture, and service. These developments are important for the pro-motion of high-quality economic development in China.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between digital inclusive finance, consumer consumption, and high-quality economic development in China using a spatial econometric model with panel data from 30 provinces and cities. In addition to examining the linear relationships between these variables, a semi-parametric spatial lag model is employed to investigate potential non-linear relationships. This study also analyzes an analysis of the mediating and moderating effects of consumer consumption on the relationship between digital inclusive finance and high-quality economic development. Finally, to test the robustness of the results, the study also replaces the 0-1 weight matrix with an economical weight matrix. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable insights into the impact of digital inclu-sive finance on consumer consumption and high-quality economic development contributing to the ongoing efforts to develop a high-quality economy in China.

This study contributes significantly to the existing literature in several ways. First, it examines the association between digital inclusive finance, household con-sumption, and high-quality economic development from both linear and nonlinear perspectives. The semi-parametric spatial lag model used in this study enables a more comprehensive analysis of the dynamic change process, adding to the credibil-ity of this study. Second, this study focuses primarily on investigating the relation-ship between digital inclusive finance, household consumption, and high-quality economic development and endeavors to explore the paths of influence among these factors, offering guidance for future scholars interested in exploring these pathways. Finally, this study expands upon prior research by not only treating inclusive finance and consumption as explanatory variables, but also examining consumption as both an intermediary and moderating variable, providing a more nuanced understanding of the relationship among these three factors.

3. The author needs to supplement the literature on the Digital inclusive finance, Consumer consumption and high-quality economic development. A summary of the research gaps in the existing literature allows the reader to understand the differences in the manuscripts.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. The author has rewritten the introduction as follows:

2.1 Digital Inclusive Finance and High-quality Economic Development

In 2005, inclusive finance was introduced to promote equal access to financial services for all customers. With the advancement of Internet technology, digital inclusive finance has emerged. While there is limited research on the impact of digital inclusive finance on high-quality economic development, some scholars have examined the relationship between digital finance, digital economy, and high-quality development. For instance, Xiongying Wang (2022) found that digital inclusive finance can help small and medium-sized technology-based enterprises alleviate financing constraints, while Jianwei Li (2022) noted that it can effectively alleviate SME financing constraints, with private and family businesses benefiting in particular. Other studies have investigated the role of inclusive finance in promoting economic growth through an analysis of the endogenous growth theory (Jun He, 2019) and the impact of the digital economy on high-quality economic development from various perspectives (Ren Baoping, 2022; Zhan Wenqing, 2022; YAN Tao, 2022; Liu Jiaqi, 2022; Ge Heping, 2021). Wu (2021) investigated the impact of the Internet on energy-saving efficiency and found that it can promote energy conservation and emission reduction through technological progress, human capital, openness, and energy structure. Zhao (2022) showed that the digital economy can enhance the technological development and human capital of cities, with significant spillover effects across regions. Li (2022) and Du (2022) demonstrated that digital finance can reduce environmental pollution by promoting industrial structure upgrading and rationalization, with marketization and government support playing important roles in this process. Hang (2022) examined the link between finance and innovative development and found that financial development can attract human capital and promote innovation within and across regions. These studies provide valuable insights into the complex relationship between digital technology and economic and social development, highlighting the multifaceted nature of this phenomenon and its potential to foster high-quality growth and sustainability. Based on these findings, it is evident that digital inclusive finance can promote enterprise innovation, meet the capital needs of enterprise survival and development, and optimize and adjust industrial structures, thereby improving economic development. This study recommends the following actions to enhance the impact of digital inclusive finance on high-quality economic development:

Hypothesis 1: the development of high-quality economies can be effectively promoted by digital inclusive finance.

2.2 Digital inclusive finance and consumer consumption

Goods and services are essential components of consumer consumption, and involve monetary or virtual expenditures to meet people's basic needs for survival, development, and enjoyment. Researchers have studied the increasing consumption of consumers from the perspective of digital inclusive finance. Ang (2011) studied the impact of financial policy on private consumption in India and found that financial repression policies are linked to a reduction in private consumption fluctuations, while a more open financial system can help suppress it. Grossman (2014) discovered that digital finance could reduce potential power consumption by providing convenience to consumers. Cioacă (2014) demonstrated that internet technology can reduce income gaps and promote resident consumption when deeply integrated into society. Based on spatial correlation and data from 265 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2018, Wang (2022) found that residents could effectively maximize their consumption potential with digital inclusive finance. Compared with the western region, the eastern and central regions showed a more significant impact on driving consumption levels and the spatial spillover effect. Additionally, digital inclusive finance can drive an increase in consumer consumption in first and second-tier cities compared to third and fourth-tier cities. Based on China's provincial data from 2011 to 2017, Jiang (2020) empirically found that digital inclusive finance improves consumer consumption levels and optimizes consumption structures by reducing the income gap between urban and rural areas and optimizing the industrial structure. Yi (2018) observed that the inclusion of digital finance in promoting economic growth is stronger for rural, middle-income, and underdeveloped households, and is influenced by the education level and cognitive ability of the household head. Li (2022) contended that digital inclusive finance, as a distinctive form of finance, is a vital driver in augmenting household consumption. Empirical evidence confirms that it has a substantial effect on boosting rural consumption. From a climate change perspective and with reference to the historical temperature of cities, He (2022) found that digital financial inclusion can not only raise farmers' consumption but also promote consumption upgrading to a certain extent. Moreover, digital financial inclusion can enhance the ability of individuals to withstand climate change. Zhao (2022) asserts that with the advancement of mobile payments in China, digital inclusive finance can invigorate residents' consumption and enhance the happiness of vulnerable groups. Luo (2022) scrutinizes the association between digital financial inclusion and consumption inequality in China and demonstrates that digital financial inclusion can promote consumption among low-income individuals and diminish the income gap. According to Cheng (2022), consumption has played an increasingly substantial role in propelling the economy since China entered a new era. Rural income and consumption are crucial components of high-quality economic development. Therefore, the inclusion of digital finance and stable financial policies contributes to consumer consumption levels and consumption structures by increasing residents' incomes and the spatial spillover effect. The following conclusions were drawn from the above analysis:

Hypothesis 2: Digital inclusive finance can effectively promote consumer consumption.

2.3 Digital Inclusive Finance, Consumer Consumption and High-quality Economic Development

China's current economic development strategy is characterized by high-quality economic development, which not only focuses on the total amount of economic development but also develops an economic system that emphasizes quality. Scholars are studying innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared developments to achieve this goal. Consumer consumption is considered an efficient means to achieve high-quality economic development through the use of digital inclusive financing. The Keynesian demand theory stresses that insufficient consumption demand will causes overcapacity and restrains economic growth. Rostow believed that only through consumption can industrial development and upgrading be stimulated to promote economic development at a more advanced level. Through theoretical analysis, Wang (2017) suggested through a theoretical analysis that China's sustainable economic development needs to ensure economic growth through consumption, which is also an inevitable choice for future development in China. Zhao (2020) found via model testing that China's total consumption maintained a positive correlation with its economic growth and that the economic scale would continue to grow with the growth of total consumer consumption. Through empirical analysis, Ma (2007) found that consumer consumption has a significant guiding and driving effect on China's economic growth, and that the change in the consumer consumption structure will also force the upgrading and adjustment of the industrial structure. Popescu (2010) and Li (2021) argued that while the economy is important, maintaining a high quality of life requires healthy consumption patterns. Su (2021) emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted China's economy and highlighted the need to promote economic transformation, expand domestic demand, and achieve sustainable development driven by consumption. Xing (2022) found that consumption upgrading can improve agricultural green total factor productivity and promote the long-term, high-quality development of alcoholometers through technical efficiency and progress. Finally, Zhou (2022) contended that to cope with the pressure of sustainable economic development, it is crucial to improve consumption levels, and that digital payment methods can more effectively increase rural consumption and promote the upgrading of the consumption structure. The existing research has confirmed that consumer consumption is crucial to economic growth. Additionally, the fusion of financial technology and financial development has improved range, precision, and efficiency leading to an increase in consumer income levels. In the context of "double-loop" development, China is increasingly demanding expanding domestic demand, breaking away from dependence on foreign trade, and promoting economic development. This study proposes a conclusion based on the above analyses.

Hypothesis 3: Consumer consumption mediates the relationship between digital inclusive finance and high-quality economic development.

A schematic illustrating the mechanism of digital inclusive finance, household consumption, and high-quality economic development is presented in Figure 1.

Figure1 Mechanism analysis diagram

In summary, the analysis of existing literature reveals two main gaps. Firstly, previous research has primarily focused on the relationship between digital inclusive finance, household consumption and high-quality economic development, with limited studies examining the linkages between the three variables, resulting in gaps in related research. Secondly, scholars in prior studies have not adequately considered the impact of digital inclusive finance on surrounding regions or the nonlinear relationship between the variables. Thus, this paper addresses these gaps by building upon previous studies and providing a more detailed examination of the relationship between digital inclusive finance, household consumption, and high-quality economic development. Consequently, this research makes a substantial contribution to the theoretical understanding and policy recommendations of the topic at hand.

4. The mechanism analysis section seems so brief that the logical relationships of some variables are not accurately expressed.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. The author rewrote the mechanism of the article, and the result is as the answer to question 3.

5. The author should provide more discussion of economic reasons for each regression result, not just describe the result. Moreover, there is not much discussion of the findings and how they link to the rest of the paper.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. The author added the discussion part of the article according to the reviewer's request.

6. The literature review does not cover some recent studies. Recently, some scholars have published quality papers on similar topic. Please see the following studies in this regard to strengthen your introduction and literature review. Does the digital economy promote industrial green transformation? Evidence from spatial Durbin model. How does digital finance affect industrial transformation. Going green in China: How does digital finance affect environmental pollution? Mechanism discussion and empirical test. How does financial development environment affect regional innovation capabilities? New perspectives from digital finance and institutional quality. Does the internet development put pressure on energy-saving potential for environmental sustainability? Evidence from China.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. The author has added the above documents to the paper.

7. The summary section needs to reduce the description of the research background and add detailed research conclusions.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. The author reduced the description of the background in the conclusion.

8. A stronger motivation should be given or the contribution of this work should be clearly stated.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. According to the reviewer's requirements, the author added the description of the contribution part in the paper, which is as follows:

This study contributes significantly to the existing literature in several ways. First, it examines the association between digital inclusive finance, household consumption, and high-quality economic development from both linear and nonlinear perspectives. The semi-parametric spatial lag model used in this study enables a more comprehensive analysis of the dynamic change process, adding to the credibility of this study. Second, this study focuses primarily on investigating the relationship between digital inclusive finance, household consumption, and high-quality economic development and endeavors to explore the paths of influence among these factors, offering guidance for future scholars interested in exploring these pathways. Finally, this study expands upon prior research by not only treating inclusive finance and consumption as explanatory variables, but also examining consumption as both an intermediary and moderating variable, providing a more nuanced understanding of the relationship among these three factors.

9. The author needs to replace all Chinese references with English references.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. According to the requirements of reviewers, all Chinese literature is replaced with English literature in this paper

10. It is necessary to provide a mechanism analysis figure in the manuscript.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. According to reviewer's requirement, mechanism analysis diagram is added in this paper.

11. In the manuscript, I did not see the reference section. I hope the author will supplement them in the revised version.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. According to the requirements of reviewers, the supplement of literature review has been completed.

12. It would be appropriate to indicate future research directions and limitations of this at the end of the conclusion section just before references.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. According to the reviewer's request, the author pointed out the future research direction and limitations at the end of the article.

This study examined the relationships between digital inclusive finance, household consumption, and high-quality economic development. However, it has several limitations: (1) Although the paper highlights the connection between digital inclusive finance, household consumption, and high-quality economic development, there may be additional transmission paths among the three. Moreover, there may not be a simple one-way causal relationship between variables but a more intricate two-way causal relationship. Therefore, a more precise definition of the relationship between these two is required. (2) Indicators of high-quality economic development must be explicit. As China has recently proposed high-quality economic development, it has not yet formed a completely unified index system; therefore, the indicators should be more accurate. Given these concerns, future research will include more theoretical logic on the relationship between digital inclusive finance, resident consumption, and high-quality economic development. The Granger causality test was used to determine the causal relationships between them. Finally, as China develops, a high-quality economic development indicator system can be defined more accurately, allowing the establishment of a more precise indicator system.

13. The language style is so colloquial. Please improve the use of English as well as the writing style throughout the paper, including the abstract and the main text. Please seek help of a native speaker or professional editorial services.

Modification instructions: Thank you very much for your suggestions. The author asked native speakers or professional editors to polish the language, and the proof of polish is as follows:

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