MOSCOW, September 30 (RIA Novosti) - Russia banned on Tuesday imports of all Chinese food products containing milk derivatives following cases of melamine poisoning in China, and over a lack of official information from Beijing, the chief sanitary official said.

"The lack of clarity on the situation in China and the country's official position has made us take extreme steps - banning all Chinese food products containing milk," Gennady Onishchenko said.

The ban applies to over a thousand of items, including biscuits and sweets.

Last Friday, the European Union introduced a ban on imports from China of all baby food products containing powdered milk.

At least four children have died in China and over 50,000 have been affected by melamine-tainted milk since early September, according to Chinese health authorities.

So far, over 20 countries have either banned or restricted imports of Chinese dairy products, including Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Japan. Safety checks of Chinese food products are continuing around the world.