Analyses of in situ and reanalysis output are performed to examine linkages between surface sensible heat fluxes over the central and eastern Tibetan Plateau (CETP) and indices of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) and wintertime near-surface air temperatures over China. The results demonstrate that the sensible heat fluxes over CETP exhibit substantial decadal variability with positive, negative and positive phase during 1980–1987, 1988–2002 and 2003–2014, respectively. This decadal variability exhibits statistically significant associations with sub-components of EAWM and surface temperature anomalies over eastern China. The recovery of decadal change in wintertime sensible heat fluxes from negative to positive phase over CETP over the past decade (since 2003) has been associated with intensification and northward displacement of the East Asian subtropical jet (EASJ), enhanced and westward displacement of East Asian trough and strengthening of the Siberian High. Such processes are associated with the strengthening of EAWM, as well as cold air advection from high latitudes towards the south. Increased wintertime sensible heat fluxes over CETP is associated with markedly changes in the meridional temperature gradient that in term intensifies upper-level zone flow in the EASJ region, which provides a key physical factor linking the anomalies of sensible heat fluxes and EAWM.