The impacts of natural and anthropogenic factors on sand and dust storm distribution of 2001 in East Asia have been investigated by using the most up-to-date desertification map in China and desert reversal scenarios in natural precipitation zones. Here we show that although desertification in China has only increased total area of desert by ~2%--7% since 1950s <Zhong, 1999; Zhu and Zhu, 1999>, it has generated disproportionably large areas with dust storm production potentials. Depending on the degree of desertification, newly formed deserts covered 15% to 19% of the original desert areas and would generate more dust storm, ranging from 10% to 40%, under the same meteorological conditions for spring 2001. Among the natural factors, the restoration of vegetation covers in the Chinese deserts within the 200 mm/y and 400 mm/y precipitation zones was found to decrease the surface mass concentrations by 10--50 % in most regions. It is also found that the contributions of surface concentrations from non-Chinese deserts account for up to 60% in Northeast China and up to 50% in Korea and Japan.