Based on the daily mean wind speed, the daily mean temperature, the daily maximum and minimum temperature from five meteorological stations in East Xinjiang during 1960 - 2005, the 74 circulation parameters from NCC and NCEP /NCAR reanalysis data, the annual and inter - decadal variation characteristics ofwind speed in East Xinjiangwere analyzed. Results show that the biggest wind speed areaswere in the north and the south of East Xinjiang and the smallestwere in Balikun - Yiwu basin and Hami basin, and the wind speed change in a year in differrent area p resented basically the same trend. The occurring frequencies ofwind speed from 0 to 2. 9 m·s- 1 , from 1. 0 to 1. 9 m·s- 1 and from 3. 0 to 3. 9 m·s- 1 were 22. 04 % , 18. 46 % and 17. 67% , respectively. The variation of wind speed in East Xinjiang was mainly relative to the strong cold air, cold wave and dust storm. The circulation factors such as westerly index, polar vortex area and intensity, EastAsia trough have good correlation with the variation of wind speed.