Guangzhou officials have promised more rational and transparent management of family planning laws and regulations.
But speaking two days before the implementation of China's National Population and Family Planning Law, they did not hint at any local relaxation of the mainland's strict one-child policy. Under the new law, which was passed by the National People's Congress Standing Committee last December, local governments get more power over policy.
Anhui province was the first to take advantage of this freedom, allowing couples belonging to 13 categories to have a second child.
These included divorcee couples who had only one child in their previous marriages and coal miners' families, in recognition of the dangerous nature of the occupation.
Guangzhou will not be following Anhui's lead, even though other parts of Guangdong province are liberalising the regulations.
'We have not changed any regulations concerning the number of children that one family can have - that is, one child for urban families and two for peasant families if their first child is a girl,' said Xie Anguo, vice-head of Guangzhou's Population and Family Planning Bureau.
Mr Xie said Hong Kong and foreign residents married to mainland spouses would have to abide by the restrictions.