He said the Chinese economy had "reached a new level" with the country's international reserves exceeding $1.52 trillion in 2007.
Congress will also consider an outline of the 2008 budget and the annual report from the National Development and Reform Commission.
Wen said the government had set an inflation target of 4.8% for 2008, the same as in 2007, even though he had pledged earlier that 2007 inflation would stay under 3%. In 2006, inflation was 1.5%.
He said the country should "expand the breadth and depth of openness and make its economy more open."
China would limit or ban foreign investments in projects that are energy intensive or highly polluting, Wen said.
He said China would also introduce new standards for product quality and safety as part of an overhaul of its quality control system. The government had previously announced that the country's food exports would now carry a certification of quality mark in an effort to cut illegal shipments abroad.
"It is imperative that people feel confident about the safety of food and other consumer goods and that our exports have a good reputation," he said.
