The state tobacco monopoly, the China Tobacco Corporation, made the announcement amid criticism of the country's failure to fulfill its commitments to the World Health Organization.
A notice from the corporation, also the world's largest cigarette manufacturer, says that the new warning characters' height should be no shorter than 4 millimeters, double the previous minimum size.
China's State Tobacco Monopoly Administration will establish an expert panel to examine the new design presented by tobacco manufacturers by the end of this year. The new packaging will take effect from next April.
However, experts say the changes are too slight and the revamped version will still lag far behind the international standard.
They called for the use of warning pictures, such as that of a diseased lung, and more explicit messages.
"The current slogan 'smoking is bad for health' is too ambiguous," said Zheng Pinpin, an associate professor at Fudan University's school of public health. She suggested, as one example, the more explicit: "Smoking will lead to lung cancer."
She said there were great differences between Chinese mainland packaging and that of overseas packs.
Chunghwa cigarettes sold in Hong Kong have a picture of a rotten foot on the pack with large characters saying: "Smoking causes blood circulation disease." The same cigarettes sold in Taiwan have a picture of a diseased lung.
But there are no pictures on packs sold on the mainland.
In online comments, many people complained that domestic tobacco companies adopted different standards in designing packages for locally sold products and those for export. "The overseas packs are very horrible," was one comment. "I wouldn't want to smoke after seeing the image."
Many said the new Chinese version wouldn't make a big difference.
The notice also said that a warning in English would be replaced by another Chinese warning in the new packaging.
Zheng said most Chinese smokers lived in rural areas and would not understand English. Adding an additional Chinese warning was very helpful.
China, the world's largest consumer of cigarettes as well as producer, ranked among the lowest of the 100-plus nations signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in a tobacco control situation evaluation. Poor cigarette packs have contributed to its low score.
China ratified the framework in 2003, pledging strong measures to curb tobacco consumption. But the treaty's implementation is in the hands of a multi-agency work group that includes the State Tobacco Monopoly, the regulatory body that shares the same management as the China Tobacco Corporation.
The tobacco industry currently generates about 7 percent of the government's annual revenue.
By Liang Yiwen
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