BEIJING — President Bush yesterday was accused of “spoiling” next week’s G–8 summit after he announced that America would not agree to reduce its carbon emissions before a new conference next year.

Germany, which holds the presidency of the G–8 group of rich countries, had hoped to reach a landmark deal on climate change when leaders gather in the Baltic town of Heiligendamm.

Germany’s Chancellor Merkel has proposed a global agreement limiting any increase in world temperatures to no more than two degrees Celsius. In practice, scientists believe this would require a reduction of 50% in global carbon emissions below the 1990 level by 2050.

But Mr. Bush’s latest speech may have destroyed any chance of a deal being agreed next week. He said that America and the group of 15 countries forming the world’s largest economies should meet to discuss the issue next year.

This conference would convene shortly before America’s next presidential election and a few months before Mr. Bush steps down. When this meeting happens, Mr. Bush said: “America and other nations will set a long-term global goal for reducing greenhouse gases. To develop this goal, the United States will convene a series of meetings of nations that produce the most greenhouse gases, including nations with rapidly growing economies like India and China.

“Each country would establish mid-term management targets and programs that reflect their own mix of energy sources and future energy needs.”

Greenpeace denounced Mr. Bush’s move as a “classic spoiler” designed to repackage America’s position with “new rhetoric.”

Friends of the Earth said that a global agreement limiting carbon emissions was the most important aim and Mr. Bush remained the prime obstacle to achieving this.

But Ms. Merkel put a brave face on Mr. Bush’s announcement, saying that it provided her with some “common ground” with America, while Tony Blair called it “a big step forward.”

“For the first time, America’s saying it wants to be part of a global deal,” Mr. Blair said.

Mr. Bush’s European allies will point to his acceptance of any cuts in emissions and of the proposition that climate change is a genuine problem as signs of progress.

But China and India have also combined to undermine the chances of the G–8 summit producing a deal on climate change.

Officials in Beijing said China would oppose any legal limit on emissions.

They insisted that the world’s most populous country was still too undeveloped to put the fight against climate change ahead of expanding its economy.

“China as a country is vulnerable to the negative impact of climate change,” said one senior official with the National Development and Reform Commission, the state planning body. “But climate change is the result of the 200-year-long industrialisation of developed countries.”

He said a mandatory cap would not be “fair.” “China cannot accept that,” he said.

Last week, India, which has a much smaller economy than China but whose population is likely to overtake that of its neighbor to the northeast by 2050, also said it would not accept emission caps.