A senior official from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, has denied saying that a large number of civil servants are resigning to go into business, Guangzhou Daily reported.

Yang Qin, director of the Guangzhou department of human resources and social security, said some civil servants have resigned or plan to resign due to poor wages, but not many.

"Guangzhou's civil service is still stable," Yang told legislators during the city's ongoing session of the People's Congress on Tuesday.

He hinted that civil servants' salaries would not increase this year, although their salaries have not been raised for five years.

Yang urged civil servants in the city to provide even better service to local residents.

Guangzhou will recruit about 1,800 new civil servants in 2014, he added.