The aim of this paper is to offer a statistically sound method to make a precise account of the speed of land degradation and regeneration processes. Most common analyses of land degradation focus instead on the extent of degraded areas, rather than on the intensity of degradation processes. The study was implemented for the Potential Extent of Desertification in China ( PEDC) , composed by arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions and refers to the period 2002 to 2012. The metrics were standard partial regression coefficients from stepwise regressions, fitted using Net Primary Productivity as the dependent variable, and year number and aridity as predictors. The results indicate that:①the extension of degrading lands (292896 km2 or 9.12％of PEDC) overcomes the area that is recovering (194560 km2 or 6.06％ of PEDC);and ② the intensity of degrading trends is lower than that of increasing trends in three land cover types ( grassland, desert, and crops) and in two aridity levels ( semi-arid and dry sub-humid) . Such an outcome might pinpoint restoration policies by the Chinese government, and document a possible case of hysteresis.