Berlin: China and Europe have pledged to unite to save what German Chancellor Angela Merkel called "our Mother Earth", standing firmly against US President Donald Trump's decision to take the United States out of the Paris climate change pact.

Mr Trump's move was "a big mistake", Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said on Friday.

Other countries, including India, signalled their commitment to the accord. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that while the US should have remained in the 2015 deal, he would not judge Mr Trump.

Mr Trump announced the withdrawal on Thursday, tapping into his "America First" campaign theme. He said participating in the pact would undermine the US economy, wipe out jobs, weaken national sovereignty and put his country at a permanent disadvantage.