SHANGHAI, Aug. 17 — After a series of high-profile recalls this year, the Chinese government announced Friday that it had formed a cabinet-level committee to improve the quality and safety of the nation’s food and other products, both for consumption at home and for export.

The State Council, the country’s highest government body, offered few details about the committee, but said Vice Prime Minister Wu Yi had been appointed to head it.

The announcement, which had been expected, came on the same day that the government issued a white paper detailing what it said was an improving record in protecting China’s food safety and quality.

The moves come after a series of food and consumer product scares that have badly tarnished the nation’s reputation and raised questions about the quality and safety of its booming exports.

Determined to show that it is responding to the crisis, the government has moved aggressively in recent months to mount a countercampaign, announcing a lengthy list of new regulations and inspection controls and promising to crack down on illegal and counterfeit operations.

But the government has also blamed the foreign media for exaggerating the country’s safety problems with “viciously sensationalized” coverage. It has called some reporting a veiled effort at restricting China’s exports and creating “trade protectionism.”

In some instances, the government has also retaliated by questioning the quality and safety of some foreign imports, including Evian water and American meat, and seized or blocked them from entering this country.

Still, Beijing is conducting high-level meetings with regulators from the United States and Europe in the hopes of regaining the confidence of its trade partners.

This week, for instance, Beijing officials said they were investigating Mattel’s recall of hundreds of thousands of toys that the company found to have excessive levels of lead paint.

The government promised to take tough measures against those responsible.

In the white paper the State Council released Friday, the government said 85 percent of food items sold in China passed quality inspections in the first half of this year, up from about 78 percent a year ago.

The paper also said the United States and Europe accepted 99 percent of China’s food shipments, an indication that they were largely safe, according to the report.

But as Beijing tried to restore its image, it received more bad news. Thailand said Friday that it had blacklisted imports of some Chinese fruits, vegetables, seafood and other foods after health officials there found high levels of toxins and cancer-causing chemical residues, according to The Bangkok Post.