China will control its population to not more than 1.4 billion by the year 2010, top Chinese family planning official Zhang Weiqing said in Beijing on November 19.

Addressing the closing ceremony of an international symposium on quality of reproductive health care in China, Zhang said that in the next half century China will continue its firm population control policy.

Zhang also promised to provide better technical and reproductive health care services to couples of child-bearing age so as to improve the country's family planning situation.