U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed three memorandums, ordering the withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a freeze on federal hiring and a ban on financing pro-abortion programs abroad with U.S. federal funds.

    “We’ve been talking about this for a long time,” Trump said as he signed the paper ordering the exit from TPP.

    “Great thing for the American worker, what we just did,” Trump said as he held up the signed document to the press.

    The White House has yet to release the details of the executive order.

    The TPP, a free trade pact between 12 Asia-Pacific countries, was formally signed by ministers from these 12 countries last February after more than five years’ negotiation.

    Trump’s action was considered a symbolic move, as the U.S. Congress hasn’t approved the deal yet. However, the move indicated that the new administration is actually shifting trade policies from previous U.S. norms.

    Australian Trade Minister Steve Ciobo said his country will work with the remaining TPP nations and look to other nations to salvage the doomed free trade agreement after Trump’s overnight decision.

    “We are not going to walk away from pursuing high-quality trade deals that are good for Australian exports,” Ciobo told Sky News yesterday.

    He said there was a possibility that a “TPP 12 minus one” deal, which would involve the remaining 11 signatories, could get off the ground as the Australian Government had been in close contact with representatives from the original TPP nations.

    He also hinted at the possibility of introducing a new, or multiple new nations, into the agreement, telling the ABC that there has been interest from Indonesia while China may also be approached.

    “Certainly I know that Indonesia has expressed a possible interest. And there would be scope for China if we’re able to reformulate it to be a ‘TPP 12 minus one’ for countries like Indonesia or China — or indeed other countries — to consider joining.”

    New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English said Trump’s decision was a disappointment to New Zealand, but his country will not rule out other versions of free trade.

    According to English, the remaining TPP ministers are going to meet over the next few months to consider the next possible steps, but how it will play out remained to be seen.

    International institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have warned that the inward-looking policy and protectionism could be a threat to global growth.

    (Xinhua)