BEIJING — A team of U.S. health officials came to Beijing on Tuesday for talks on tightening controls over food and drug trade, amid tensions triggered by U.S. restrictions on questionable — and sometimes dangerous — Chinese products.

China complains that some recent U.S. actions against its exports have been unnecessary and blames the international media for blowing concerns about its product safety record out of proportion.

The U.S. delegation, led by Department of Health and Human Services official Rich McKeown, will discuss ways to improve the flow of information and devise regulations both sides can be confident in, Mike Leavitt, secretary of the department, said in a statement issued prior to the group's arrival.

They will focus on developing agreements on the safety of food, drugs and medical devices, hopefully to be completed by December.

"Our U.S. regulatory agencies are concerned about what they see as an insufficient infrastructure across the board in China to assure the safety, quality and effectiveness of many products exported to the United States," Leavitt said in the statement.

"We believe that with the technology, the scientific expertise, and the commitment each side has, we can work together to correct the outstanding issues," he said.