China To End One-Child Policy, Allowing Families Two Children

China’s Communist Party brought to an end the decades-old “one-child” policy on Thursday, when leaders announced that all married couples would be allowed to have two children in a bid to reverse the rapid aging of the labor force.

The announcement came after the party’s Central Committee concluded a four-day meeting in a heavily guarded hotel in western Beijing where the committee approved proposals for China’s next five-year development plan, which starts next year.

The Chinese limit of one child for most families, which was enacted to slow population growth, has led to criticism in the past.