BEIJING - CHINA urged Washington on Tuesday to lift new restrictions that US health officials have imposed on imported foods from China, insisting Beijing has taken effective measures to improve food safety standards since it was hit by a recent tainted milk scandal.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it regretted the move by the US Food and Drug Administration last Thursday to order dozens of imported foods from China held at the border. Most are ethnic treats, including snacks, drinks and chocolates.

The US Food and Drug Administration also plans to open three offices in China this week in an unprecedented effort to improve the safety of exports headed to America amid recurring product safety scares.

Mr Qin Gang, a ministry spokesman, said Chinese quality inspection authorities strictly examine exported products to ensure they meet the standards of importing countries.

'We hope the US side will take seriously China's major concerns because what they are doing now will impact on our trade. We hope the US will lift the restriction sooner than later,' Mr Qin told a regular news briefing.

It is unusual for the US Food and Drug Administration to put such a broad hold on goods from an entire country, not just a few rogue manufacturers.

Thursday's order, which covers products made with milk, is a precaution to keep out foods contaminated with melamine, the industrial chemical found in dairy products that sickened more than 50,000 children with kidney problems and was blamed in the deaths of at least four infants in China's most recent food scandal.

Under the directive, FDA inspectors at US ports of entry will detain foods from China made with milk and other dairy ingredients.

Importers must pay to have their products tested by an independent laboratory that meets FDA standards. Only products found to be melamine-free will be allowed into the country.

Melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and fertiliser, is said to have been added to watered-down milk by dairy suppliers in China to dupe quality control tests and make the product appear rich in protein. The practice became known after the Beijing Olympics this summer.

Other melamine-tainted Chinese products soon surfaced in other countries, setting off a global safety scandal that has further tarnished the reputation of Chinese food brands. -- AP