A considerable challenge faced by the largest Grain-to-Green Programme of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) is whether planted species can adapt to semi-arid climates. Our project aimed to explore the adaption characteristics of introduced vegetation under warming and drying climates in the Yangjuangou catchment of the Loess Plateau. We analyzed and commpred the differences of inter-annual radial growth responding to climate change between introduced and native tree species. Based on dendrochronological methods, we collected tree-ring samples and established ring-width chronologies for both introduced (Robinia pseudoacacia, Caragana korshinskii) and native (Armeniaca sibirica, Vitex negundo var. heterophylla) species. Relationships between the environmental factors (temperature, precipitation, Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI)) and tree-ring index were determined using correlation analyses. The results showed that: 1) The tree-ring width series of introduced species had significantly passive correlations with May-August temperatures (R. pseudoacacia: -0.511 to -0.427; C. korshinskii: -0.738 to -0.227;P<0.05) and positive correlations with May-August precipitation; tree-ring series of native species were also negatively correlated with the temperature and positively correlated with precipitation, but not significantly; 2) Different from those of native species, the tree-ring width series of introduced species showed a relationship with the temperature and precipitation from the growing season of the previous summer (July-September), indicating that the environmental factors had a lag-effect on the growth of the introduced species; 3) The tree-ring width series of introduced species maintained positive correlations with PDSI each month with the highest correlation coefficients (R. pseudoacacia: 0.481 to 0.704; C. korshinskii: 0.314 to 0.610;P<0.05) in the growing season (R. pseudoacacia April-September, C. korshinskii April-August). However, there was a weak correlation that did not reach a significant level between the native species and PDSI; 4) The tree-ring chronologies showed a specific intensity response to environmental factors (temperature, precipitation, PDSI), introduced species were strongly negatively affected by water stress in the CLP semi-arid region, with R. pseudoacacia affected the most followed by C. korshinskii; however, native trees were only weakly affected by drought, where A. sibirica growth was normal in the severe drought condition, and V. negundo var. heterophylla was the most drought tolerant species and relatively robust to the effects of climate change. In conclusion, introduced species were strongly negatively affected by water stress, suggesting their growth would be unsustainable in the future, and native trees were weakly affected by drought, and could adapt to the climate change trends in the CLP semi-arid area.