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BEIJING, July 1-- Several provincial-level regions on Monday started implementing the "China VI" vehicle emission standards ahead of schedule to ramp up efforts against a major source of air pollution. Sales and registrations of new vehicles in regions including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Hebei Province and Guangdong Province now have to comply with what is believed to be one of the world's strictest rules on automobile pollutants. In Beijing, all new buses and other heavy-duty diesel vehicles shall follow the new emission rules, while all new vehicles are expected to follow suit starting Jan. 1, 2020. All existing vehicles on the roads are obliged to meet the previous "China V" emission standards. According to official data, emissions from some 6.2 million vehicles were responsible for 45 percent of Beijing's concentration of small, breathable particles known as PM2.5, a key indicator of air pollution. Compared with the "National V" standards, the new rules demand substantially fewer pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matters and introduce limits on particulate number and ammonia. The new emission standards were initially set to take effect nationwide from July 1, 2020. A three-year action plan on air pollution control released last July urged early implementation in major heavily-polluted areas, the Pearl River Delta region, Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality. | 
