The study analyzed weather data from 169 stations in arid and semi-arid areas of China over the past 50 years. They found that in the northwest, precipitation increased while potential evapotranspiration decreased, leading to significant drought conditions. In contrast, in the east, precipitation decreased while potential evapotranspiration increased, also resulting in significant drought. The differences in climate change between the east and west parts of the region were significant, showing clear trends of increasing drought in different ways.