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American leader visits overseas have historically been an occasion to demonstrate the power of the United States on the world stage. The president's five-day tour through eastern Asia, conversely, has been a display of the authority of Trump – but also, at points, of that authority's limitations.

The president's stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea over the duration of the initial days were an demonstration in pleasing a at times mercurial American president. It was an admission that Trump, with the flick of a document, could impose duties and further steps that have the capacity to damage the financial systems of export-oriented states.

His discussion with Beijing's head Xi on the final day, nevertheless, was a completely different scenario.

It was a encounter of counterparts on the international scene, where the consequences for each country – for their markets, for their global standing, for the well-being of their populations – were immense.

With the Chinese, the president may flick his authority, but those steps involve consequences. They carry a price.

• Trump hails 'impressive' talks with Xi but no pact finalized
• The Chinese president and the US leader find short-term ceasefire as China plays longer game

For the initial phase, the president's latest foray into international relations was uneventful.

Each destination was characterized by a blend of standard commercial discussions – arrangements made under the shadow of Trump's "reciprocal" duties – and special treatment that at points approached the deferential.

In Malaysia, the president gained access to critical minerals and made headway toward completing commercial deals with ASEAN countries. He also led a pact that should alleviate border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia – the sort of "peace agreement" the president enjoys to highlight.

In Japan, Trump's Marine One flew past a famous structure lit US flag colors – with a top in Trumpian gold.

Freshly appointed Head Sanai Takaichi detailed $550bn in Tokyo's funding in the US and gave the president a offering of two hundred fifty flowering trees for America's 250th birthday, and a sports gear and bag that belonged to Shinzo Abe, the murdered ex-leader who bonded with the president in his first term.

She also became the newest international head to propose Trump for his highly-coveted peace award.

Keeping pace, the Korean government received Trump with guns firing a 21-gun salute and a armed forces orchestra that rendered Hail to the Chief and the classic tune – the band anthem that has evolved into a presidential event theme.

President Lee Jae Myung held an "honour ceremony" for Trump during which he gave the US president his country's highest medal and a replica of an historical royal headpiece.

Noon repast with Lee included a "Conciliatory Treat" of gilded baked goods. Subsequently, the Koreans offered Trump fine beverage at an private meal in Trump's recognition with six international heads attending the APEC conference.

In the United States, the president may be the subject of "Anti-Monarchy" protests by the public who disapprove of his boundary-testing increases of leader's control, but during his East Asia tour he was handled as nobility.

And like the rulers of history, Trump visited the Korean nation demanding tribute – in the shape of $two hundred billion in cash payments, $20 billion a annually, from the host nation to the US, to be allocated at the discretion of the president's government. Agreement on the conditions of those payments contributed to that the duty level on Korean goods to the United States would fall from a quarter to under twenty percent.

The primary focus of Trump's regional visit came in its last moments, however, as he encountered the Chinese leader.

In that setting, the influence relationship between heads of the global top two markets was decidedly different than the exchanges Trump had with his foreign counterparts in prior visits.

Missing were all the pageantry and the spectacle. Lacking armed forces orchestras, without protocol units, missing carefully crafted dining selections marking bilateral friendship. By contrast, the pair of counterparts and their top aides were seated across a large pale discussion surface in a nondescript armed forces facility just adjacent to the landing strip of the city of Busan's air transport hub.

It was possibly a demonstration of the significant risks that when the president made contact with Xi in the southern port, he looked