Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) have been urged to increase housing projects on bumiputra-owned land in urban areas to provide more affordable homes for the people.

Second Finance Minister Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani said the ministry was confident SPNB had the expertise to implement the projects based on their performances in developing people-friendly housing projects in rural areas.

"The ministry is prepared to provide working capital to SPNB to ensure that housing projects targeted to be rented or purchased by mid professionals are completed as soon as possible.

Johari who was met by reporters after performing SPNB's social corporate responsibility (CSR) in Kampung Baru here today, said in order to develop urban housing project, SPNB must have a different business capital compared to financing rural housing projects.

Johari, who is also Titiwangsa Member of Parliament, said to date, SPNB had identified 10 strategic locations including in Sentul and Cyberjaya for the implementations of the projects.

Johari said the ministry also lauded bumiputra who owned land in the urban area wanting to submit an application to SPNB and be considered for constructions of those affordable homes on their land.

In another development, Johari said numerous types of business agreements signed with China during the one week visit of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak there would benefit the economy and people of Malaysia.

He said the agreements could create job opportunities for the local people, boost usage of local resources and create a healthy competition with the local industries.

"Currently, one of the the biggest economies after that of the United States is China. So, now, it is the country's policy to go to other countries to invest. So, if it (China) comes here to invest and it is beneficial to us, it is ok," he said when commenting on the anxiety of certain quarters on the agreements which were worth RM140 billion.

Meanwhile, the SPNB CSR programme saw an entity owned by the Finance Ministry allocating RM150,000 to repair five dilapidated houses in Kampung Baru.

Also present was SPNB Group chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Azizi Ali and Titiwangsa Parliament Resident Association chairman, cum Kampung Baru Development Corporation chairman, Datuk Affendi Zahari.