BEIJING, June 7 -- The Chinese Navy has reached an agreement with the International SOS and Beijing Red Cross for the two agencies to provide emergency medical services for sick or wounded soldiers.

According to the agreement, signed Tuesday, the two organizations will take critically ill or wounded soldiers, who are serving abroad, back to China to receive treatment as promptly as possible.

The two are able to conduct aid action within four to twenty-four hours in all countries and regions where the Navy has been performing military operations other than war.

The Chinese Navy has already successfully cooperated with the International SOS in this regard.

A Master Sergeant, identified only by his surname Wang, was flown to Beijing in an International SOS charter plane in February after he was diagnosed with a serious pulmonary infection during an escort mission in the Gulf of Aden, a stretch of water between Somalia, to the south, and Yemen, to the north.