Last year, China's defense budget increased by 7.1 percent.
The average for the last 30 years is on increases of 6.6 percent.
Exactly how big of a lift there will be in the budget that will now be clubbed is not yet known, but Wang describes the need for additional funding as important.
- The increase in defense spending is needed to deal with the complex security challenges and for China to be able to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, he says according to the Bloomberg news agency.
The world's largest fleet
According to the World Bank, China spent 1.7 percent of the country's GDP on defense in 2021, which can be compared to the United States' 3.5 percent, according to the AP.
With two million soldiers in the People's Liberation Army, China already has the world's largest standing army and the world's largest navy, with nuclear-powered submarines.
A third Chinese aircraft carrier was recently launched and on top of this comes a massive inventory of robots, fighter jets and bombers capable of handling nuclear weapons.
The country is also investing in naval bases abroad and already has one completed in Djibouti and one under construction in Cambodia, from which it can quickly get out into the disputed sea areas of the South China Sea, AP reports.
The People's Congress in China runs until March 13.