I just read that Trump signed an executive order today withdrawing from the Trans Pacific Partnership. The action was described as largely symbolic, but it got me thinking about what the TPP really is and is intended to do...

Please, if any of this is flat out wrong, help me understand:

My understanding is the TPP is intended to keep the US in a leadership role in regards to Pacific regional trade, which we've had since the end of WW2 --- more specifically, to counter any bid from China to take some or all of that role from the US. It's a "free-trade" agreement that sets in place a bunch of trade rules and, most basically, is intended to free up capital to move around without facing tariff barriers, and/or make remaining barriers highly limited and predictable. And the argument for the TPP, in answer to those who recognize that freeing capital to move around like that all-too-often fucks over workers in the US, is that those rules are coming no matter what, and it's in the US's, including the fucked-over worker's, interests to lead their development, rather than letting China do it. Is this more or less correct?

Further, I'm familiar with, and have largely agreed with, the argument that expanded trade and economic inter-dependency between powerful nations not only increases prosperity for all nations involved, but also raises the cost of war between nations, so that they are much less likely to go to war.

So.... if this is true, (and I have to ask how much of the Peace preservation and the rules are coming no matter what bits of it are objectively verified as true - if that's even possible), if its true, then what in the world does our nation have to gain by scrapping the TPP?