China to ease 1-child policy, pledges to allow 2 children

China's ruling Communist Party said on Thursday it will ease family planning restrictions to allow two children for all couples.

The rules are a major liberalization of the country's family planning restrictions, which were eased in late 2013 when Beijing said it would allow millions of families to have two children after decades of the strict one-child policy.

The country introduced the policy in the late 1970s to rein in population growth by limiting most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two.

It allowed the birth of a second child if the first child was a girl.

A major policy change at the end of 2013 allowed couples to have a second child if either parent was an only child.