Donald Trump plans on his first day in office to tell the Pacific Rim countries that signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership that the US will pull out of the trade deal which was a signature policy of Barack Obama.

In a video outlining steps that he would take on January 20, the Republican president-elect said he would follow through on his campaign promise to walk away from the TPP, a 12-nation deal that took years to negotiate. Critics have argued that the move would pave the way for China to increase its influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

“I am going to issue our notification of intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a potential disaster for our country,” Mr Trump said in the video. “Instead, we will negotiate fair, bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and industry back onto American shores.”