(Corrects calculation of sum sought by China in eighth paragraph of story that originally ran March 31.)

March 31 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. rejected a Chinese proposal that developed countries should contribute a percentage of their gross domestic product to mitigate the effects of climate change.

China, the world's second-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, called for developed nations to provide financial support of 0.5 percent of their GDP a year to help it and other developing nations fight global warming.

Asked whether China's proposal is reasonable, Harlan Watson, the U.S. climate-change negotiator, said: ``No.'' In an interview in Bangkok, Watson described the proposal as an ``interesting suggestion. I am sure we will have a discussion on that.''

Watson and more than 160 other delegates around the world are meeting in Thailand's capital this week to lay out plans for a framework that will replace the Kyoto Protocol.

The treaty, crafted in the Japanese city in 1997, requires developed nations to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming in the five years through 2012. The U.S. hasn't ratified the accord, saying fast-growing developing nations including China should also curb emissions.

The proposal by China was among 26 submissions published this month on the Web site of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as part of ongoing negotiations to write a new international climate-protection agreement.

Cumulative Emissions

The European Union and the U.S. caused the build-up of the world's emissions, accounting for more than half of cumulative emissions from 1900 to 2005, while China and India contributed 8 percent and 2 percent, respectively, the Paris-based International Energy Agency said in November.

The U.S. is the biggest emitter, according to the latest IEA figures. The sum sought by China would amount to $66 billion a year from the U.S., according to Bloomberg data.

The U.S., which holds a presidential election in November, is seeking to accelerate efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, Watson said.

``We believe that views we are pushing forward here will be very compatible with our next administration,'' Watson said. ``We see our legacy as setting the stage for the next agreement,'' he said.

The effect of a possible U.S. recession on the nation's contribution to combating climate change is ``one of the big concerns,'' he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rattaphol Onsanit in Bangkok at ronsanit@bloomberg.net Mathew Carr in London at at m.carr@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 1, 2008 12:44 EDT