Objective: This communication aims at informing about the process of applying indicators to follow-up the sustainability of a particular crop production. This process is worth being noticed to appraise the impacts of modified agricultural mode or development strategies in China. Method: The communication is based on the outcome of experiences in applying sustainability indicators for cotton production in several countries, experiences inspired by the publication of a framework of indicators by a panel of international experts. Results: In Australia and in the USA, the approach of applying sustainability indicators is set to last as it is embedded within the cotton sector. Illustrations of positive trends in the use of natural resources (water, land) and of positive socio-economic indications are being exploited towards both internal and external stakeholders to the cotton sector. A recent application has been initiated in Francophone African countries. This initiative confirms that the availability of an existing framework of indicators is very valuable but the selection of indicators has to be location - specific and involve various stakeholders. The criteria of relevance, usefulness and feasibility are sound but their application leads to sets of indicators which only overlap partially between countries. Discussion: Being a major cotton country while having started to commit with a change in agricultural production mode and development strategy, China should invest in learning from the current process if not in experimenting the application of sustainability indicators. The application in two distinct production modes of cotton, respectively in the North-Western region and in the traditional cotton producing provinces, could have some experimental value in view of an extension of the "family agriculture" model (bigger size and more mechanized farms) in the whole country.