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The US looks to be on a collision course with both the EU and the Mexican hosts of the Cancun climate change summit, after a senior diplomat revealed the American team was not willing to postpone discussion of the more controversial elements of the negotiating text.

In a briefing with overseas journalists last week, reported by the Guardian, Washington's chief climate envoy, Todd Stern, flatly rejected mooted proposals from Mexico designed to ensure the Cancun summit delivers progress on a number of the less contentious elements of the negotiating text.

It had been hoped that some kind of informal agreement on issues such as forestry and climate financing would help to restore confidence in the UN process and increase the chances of a wider deal being reached next year that also addresses more controversial areas such as emission targets and verification.The proposals had secured support from a number of EU states, including the UK.

But Stern said the US would not subscribe to the new approach.

"We have heard a lot of talk this year about capturing the so-called low-hanging fruit by which countries who use that phrase often mean all the provisions dealing with financial and technology assistance, leaving the so-called hard issues of mitigation and transparency for sometime later," he told reporters. "We are not doing that."

He also warned that there would be little or no progress in Cancun if participants refused to engage with the full range of issues, including the US demand that large emerging economies make binding and verifiable commitments to curb their greenhouse gases.

"We're not going to race forward on three issues and take a first step on other important ones," he said. "We're going to have to get them all moving at a similar pace."

The revelation that the US is willing to take a hard line at the two-week talks will fuel fears that the negotiations could once again end in acrimony as developing countries accuse the superpower of failing to do enough to cut its own emissions.

It could also deliver a major blow to hopes that deals on forestry protection and carbon market reforms could be finalised.

However, Stern's colleague, head of the US delegation Jonathan Pershing, yesterday offered some hope for the talks, revealing that the US had been engaged in private talks with China designed to end the differences between the two countries.