A poster states the one-child policy is a basic state policy in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Feb 10, 2006. [Photo/CFP]

The universal two-child policy in a statement from the Communist Party of China on Thursday is an earth-shattering change from the one-child policy instituted in the late 1970s and reflects a family planning policy in tune with the times.

The universal two-child policy will reportedly actively address the country's aging trend and potential future labor shortages due to the low birth rate in recent years.

Low birth rate means less adults of working age, which poses a threat for the country's sustainable growth in the long run.

The percentage of the population aged under 14 in China declined from 33.6 in 1982 to 16.6 in 2010, according to the National Bureau of Statistics; any society with a population in that age bracket between 15 and 18 percent of the total populace faces a severely low birth rate.