The capital will raise its automobile-emission standards on Feb 1, making them the strictest in the nation in a move that the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said is expected to reduce auto pollution by 40 percent.

"Beijing is the first city nationwide that has introduced the fifth phase of emission standards for automobiles," bureau spokesman Fang Li said. "The move is an attempt to better improve air quality in the capital."

Fang said Beijing is taking the lead in implementing stricter emission standards for automobiles as a pilot project, adding that the new emission standards will be the strictest nationwide. The city will implement the national standards when they are released.