RIYADH: Residential supply is set to improve as the Saudi National Housing Co. and China Machinery Engineering Corp. signed a deal to build 20,000 units in the Kingdom. In a recent agreement signed in Beijing, the two companies joined forces to address housing needs more effectively by constructing apartments in suburban and residential areas within the Kingdom, directly benefiting individuals and families, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The deal was signed during the official visit of the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing and the Chairman of the Housing Program Committee, Majid Al-Hogail, to China as part of the broader efforts to contribute to achieving the targets of the Housing Program — one of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 programs. This initiative aims to partner with leading global companies and attract international investments in the real estate sector. At the signing ceremony, CEO Mohammed Al-Buty represented NHC. The company emphasized that this agreement complements its qualitative projects with major global construction companies, SPA reported. It added that this initiative would be implemented in various areas within the suburbs and urban communities under NHC, distinguished by integrated facilities and services, including health, education, commercial, and public services. NHC, one of the largest real estate firms in the Middle East, aims to develop housing communities and improve living spaces in the Kingdom by creating nine integrated residential suburbs and delivering 300,000 units by the end of 2025. The company plans to implement integrated urban projects according to the highest standards at affordable prices, as well as enhance the sustainability of residential projects in various regions in Saudi Arabia. This comes as the Kingdom aims to elevate services for citizens and unify all efforts across sectors to achieve the targets of the Housing Program in line with the nation’s Vision 2030. This is part of its efforts to increase the homeownership rate for Saudi families to 70 percent. Last week, NHC signed a deal with China’s CITIC Construction Group to establish an industrial city and logistic zones for building materials. The undertaking will comprise 12 factories aimed at securing supply chains for the Saudi firm’s housing projects. In a statement, the NHC said the agreement with the Chinese construction group is part of its efforts to secure supply chains for its housing initiatives and ensure their timely completion and high quality. The Saudi company said the deal entails the construction of 12 factories specializing in building materials, harnessing Chinese expertise, and an uplift in business standards by local factories. It added that the agreement also aims to draw top-tier service providers across various company sectors, its subsidiaries, and other projects.