Beijing  - China has agreed to allow foreign medical teams to work in earthquake-devastated south-western areas, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.

"Considering the needs of the current relief work, the Chinese Red Cross is authorized to accept medical teams from some foreign countries to come to assist with medical and treatment work," ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement.

China was grateful for the offers of help from foreign governments and Red Cross societies and would maintain contact with them over the rescue and relief work, Qin said.

China has allowed several foreign rescue teams to work in the country for the first time after the magnitude-8 quake killed more than 34,000 people and left thousands missing.

About 5 million people are homeless and more than 200,000 are injured, most of them in mountainous areas of Sichuan province.

The Japanese government might pull its rescue team out of Sichuan and send medical experts instead, media reports said Monday.

The 60-member Japanese rescue team that arrived in China Friday might return home because chances of finding survivors were limited more than a week after the May 12 earthquake, the reports said. (dpa)