EU and China strengthen Paris climate deal as Trump eyes withdrawal

China and the EU have reinforced their allegiance to the Paris climate deal in a barely-veiled rebuke to reports that Donald Trump is planning to pull out of the agreement.

A draft document says Beijing and Brussels have forged a green alliance to combat climate change, reports the Financial Times.

The two sides have agreed to measures that will accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels and the "historic achievement" of the Paris climate agreement, which was signed by nearly all countries last year.

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"The Paris Agreement is proof that with shared political will and mutual trust, multilateralism can succeed in building fair and effective solutions to the most critical global problems of our time," the document reads.

"The EU and China underline their highest political commitment to the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement in all its aspects."

The statement points out the dangers of global warming, calling it "a national security issue and multiplying factor of social and political fragility", while highlighting clean energy's potential to create jobs and economic growth.

The document will be published on Friday after a summit in Brussels.

Today, at 3pm ET (8pm UK time), Trump will release his decision on whether the US will stay in or withdraw from the deal.

US media reported this week that Trump might be leaning towards withdrawing from the accord. The Paris deal has been ratified by 147 out of 197 countries so far.

If America pulls out, it will put it in company with Nicaragua and Syria: "a tiny group of countries refusing to participate in the almost universally supported Paris climate change agreement", the Washington Post says.

During his campaign, Trump promised to "cancel" the deal. He has previously said climate change is a "hoax" dreamed up by the Chinese.

"The expected announcement in Brussels illustrates China's determination to take a leadership role in the world as Trump turns the US inwards," The Guardian says, noting the President's views on global warming have "appalled" world leaders.

Over the weekend, German Chancellor Angela Merkel could scarcely hide her frustration with the US president's views on the deal.

Following a G7 summit in Taormina, Sicily, she told reporters that "the entire discussion about climate was very difficult, if not to say very dissatisfying."