China faces a shortfall in its provision of affordable housing. This paper explores the potential to use Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to address these supply problems. A review of the housing market and an examination of its historical development is presented. This is followed by an examination of PPP approaches and the rationale underpinning them. A survey of state and private sector practitioners is undertaken to evaluate the appropriateness of PPP in the Chinese housing sector. The results highlight PPP is viable but there are a number of institutionally constraints that must be overcome to achieve the full benefits.