Brussels - The European Commission and China agreed Monday to beef up controls on potentially dangerous Chinese products and foods exported to the European Union.

The deal follows a major scandal involving contaminated milk powder that left at least four infants dead and 53,000 others hospitalized in China.

China will now be obliged to inform the European Union about what it is doing to track down dangerous goods.

In return, Chinese officials will be given access to the EU's Rapid Alert System for Feed and Food (RASFF), where controlling authorities can exchange information about what measures are being taken to ensure food safety.

The deal "substantially strengthens the systems of safety controls for product and food safety between the EU and China," said consumers affairs commissioner Meglena Kuneva. (dpa)