EU and China back Paris climate deal as US set to pull out

Chinese and European officials are expected to reiterate their commitment to the Paris climate accord on Thursday, while Donald Trump reportedly prepares to pull the US out of the agreement.

World leaders were left frustrated last week when six leaders from the G7 summit reaffirmed their support for the accord, while Trump claimed he needed more time to consider the implications.

The joint statement from China and the EU is expected to arrive after another summit in Brussels on Thursday, and will be seen as a major rebuff to the Trump administration. A draft of the document has been seen by several mainstream media outlets.

"The EU and China consider the Paris agreement as an historic achievement further accelerating the irreversible global low greenhouse gas emission and climate resilient development," the statement says.

The joint statement from China and the EU is expected to arrive after another summit in Brussels on Thursday

"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."

It goes on to add that both the EU and China reaffirm their "highest political commitment" to the accord, which pledges to limit the global rise in temperatures related to emissions.

The vast majority of world nations have backed the major climate agreement, with Syria and Nicaragua the only states from the 197 entitled to be in the pact that have rejected it.

Trump is due to make an announcement on Thursday afternoon confirming whether the US will continue to support the agreement or not.