Since the 1970s, China has been defined by its one-child policy.

Since last Friday, the Chinese government is now allowing parents to have a second child if one of the parents is themselves a single-child.

The new ruling was released by the Communist Party Central Committee and dubbed by the Wall Street Journal “the most dramatic policy change out of leaders’ recent party conclave”.

 Don’t expect a huge spike yet. Wang Pei’an, deputy director of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), noted that the new policy will not apply to a huge portion of the population.

Currently, the population 60 years and older makes up 14.3% of the population. In 2050, over one third of the Chinese population is expected to be over 60.

With this growing age group, labor shortages are inevitable. The loosened one-child policy may be a response to this looming crisis.

If anything, we can guarantee at least one thing- Chinese family reunions might now need a little extra food.