US President Barack Obama welcomed a deal sealed Monday to create the world's largest free trade area, saying that it "reflects America's values" and "puts American workers first."

Obama said that the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, which encompasses 40 percent of the global economy, would allow the United States to "export more products stamped Made in America all over the world." The deal marks a major policy triumph for Obama, who has made the issue a priority of his second term.