The National Health and Family Planning Commission moved on Tuesday to allay concerns in media reports last week that China will relax its family planning policy by 2015 to allow more couples to have two children.
The commission said no timetable has yet been determined and instead said the new plan will be carried out "at the proper time".
The commission, however, did confirm media reports that an update is on its way. In the new plan, couples will be allowed to have a second child if at least one parent has no siblings.
There are several exceptions to the one child rule,the current policy permits couples to have two children if both parents are the only children in their families.
In most rural areas, for example, families can apply to have a second child if their first-born is a daughter.
An update to the policy makes economic sense, because allowing more couples to have a second child could stem potential labor shortages in the future.
Lu Jiehua, a professor of social demographics at Peking University who has done research for the commission, said that the "proper time" is probably coming this year.
"Regions with a relatively higher proportion of (families with only one child) and a higher urbanization level are most likely to introduce the relaxation first," he said.
