Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has vowed to protect the Paris Agreement on climate change, as the future of the accord hangs in the balance.

The Chinese leader pledged his support for the 2015 deal to tackle global warming and curb fossil fuel emissions in a phone call with French President-elect Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.

His comments came as US president Donald Trump considers withdrawing from the accord – a promise he made during his election campaign.

The issue was also raised on Tuesday by former US president Barack Obama, who called on Beijing and Washington to work together on the environment.

Mr Xi told Mr Macron that China and France "should protect the achievements of global governance, including the Paris Agreement", according to a statement released by China’s foreign ministry.

Mr Trump was expected to meet with key advisors on a possible withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on Tuesday. However the meeting was reported to have been cancelled.

The US president in March signed a sweeping executive order aimed at ending regulations in the US energy industry that were established by Mr Obama to confront global warming.

Speaking at a conference in the Italian city of Milan, Mr Obama acknowledged differences between himself and Mr Trump with regards to global warming.