THE Trump administration said Monday it had reached a new, 16-year trade deal with Mexico, setting in motion a rapid chain of events that could redraw the world’s largest trade agreement.

The ultimate scope of the deal could hinge on whether Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decides to join the agreement after months of feuding with President Donald Trump.

White House officials said the agreement, centered largely on manufacturing, would help American workers by making it harder for countries to ship cheap products through Mexico and then into the United States. Harmonizing labor and environmental rules would also protect U.S. jobs and salaries, the officials said, by making it less attractive for U.S. companies to move operations to Mexico.

A senior administration official acknowledged that it was possible the changes could make certain products, such as automobiles, more expensive for American buyers because the costs that go into production were expected to increase.

A number of key factors remain unresolved in Trump’s effort to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement — with Canada’s role the biggest among them. Trump and Mexican leaders also failed to resolve whether the U.S. tariffs on metals imports will remain in place.

The next phase of negotiations will pose a major test for Trump’s unique style of diplomacy, which has shown flashes of both creativity and impulsiveness throughout the process.

“It’s a big day for trade. It’s a big day for our country,” Trump told reporters he had gathered in the Oval Office.

Trump has long told top advisers that once he was able to cut a single trade deal with another country, it would lead to a flurry of agreements. That’s because it would prove to other world leaders that he’s serious about cutting deals, and some aides are hopeful that the Mexico agreement could serve as a template for other talks.

But Trump also has a tendency to tout deals before they are complete, and a rebuke from either the U.S. Congress or Canada could scuttle the talks before they are finalized.(SD-Agencies)