Since at least 2004, Chinese security thinking has undergone a steady shift toward emphasizing the maritime domain. As its economy has grown, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has become increasingly dependent on the world's oceans to sustain its economy and people and to move its products to market. Indeed, to maintain and improve what it considers its "comprehensive national power" (zonghe guojia liliang), the PRC clearly needs access to the world's seas.