China phased out around 700,000 vehicles emitting excessive exhaust by the end of August, completing 60 percent of the annual target, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Tuesday.

All vehicles registered before 2005 are scheduled to be off the road by year's end to reduce vehicle exhaust and improve air quality.

As of August, Tianjin had met its target while Yunnan province in the southwestern region had reached 96 percent of its goal, the ministry said.

Eight other provinces, including Heilongjiang and Guangdong have phased out 70 percent of their vehicles. Thirteen provinces have been lagging behind however, with Henan and Shandong failing to phase out even half of their targets so far this year.