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American leader visits overseas have typically been an chance to demonstrate the strength of the United States on the international platform. Trump's five-day trip through Asian nations, conversely, has been a display of the power of Trump – but also, at moments, of that influence's constraints.

Trump's visits in Malaysia, Japan and Korea over the course of the initial days were an display in catering to a at times unpredictable president. It was an recognition that Trump, with the signature of a document, could introduce tariffs and additional actions that have the ability to devastate the markets of export-oriented countries.

His meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the final day, though, was something entirely different.

It was a meeting of peers on the world platform, where the consequences for the two powers – for their financial health, for their international prestige, for the welfare of their people – were immense.

With Beijing, the US leader may use his authority, but those steps involve repercussions. They come with a price.

• Trump praises 'remarkable' talks with Xi but no trade deal reached
• The Chinese president and the US leader find temporary truce as China adopts strategic patience

For the initial phase, Trump's recent venture into global diplomacy was smooth sailing.

Each stop was punctuated by a mix of traditional commercial discussions – arrangements made under the shadow of Trump's "equivalent" tariffs – and personal accommodations that at points approached the subservient.

In the Malaysian stop, Trump obtained rights to key materials and made advances toward completing trade arrangements with regional partners. He also presided over a agreement that should reduce border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia – the kind of "peace deal" the American president prefers to highlight.

In Japan, Trump's Marine One passed by a famous structure displayed US flag colors – with a peak in Trumpian gold.

Freshly appointed Prime Minister the Japanese leader outlined $half-trillion in Japanese investments in the US and offered the president a gift of two hundred fifty sakura trees for the United States' semiquincentennial, and a golf equipment and bag that belonged to former Prime Minister Abe, the killed ex-leader who bonded with the president in his initial presidency.

She also became the latest foreign leader to suggest Trump for his long-sought international honor.

Keeping pace, the Korean government received Trump with guns discharging a 21-gun salute and a military band that rendered the leader's song and the classic tune – the musical group anthem that has turned into a political gathering standard.

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

Midday meal with the Korean leader included a "Peacemaker's Dessert" of gilded baked goods. Subsequently, the Koreans served the president fine beverage at an exclusive gathering in Trump's honour with half-dozen world leaders participating in the regional summit summit.

In the United States, the president may be the focus of "Anti-Monarchy" demonstrations by the public who oppose his limit-pushing expansions of presidential power, but during his East Asia tour he was handled as monarchy.

And like the monarchs of old, Trump visited the Korean nation demanding contribution – in the guise of $200 billion in monetary contributions, $20bn a year, from Korea to the United States, to be invested at the discretion of Trump's leadership. Agreement on the details of those contributions helped ensure that the duty level on Korean products to the United States would decrease from twenty-five percent to 15%.

The central moment of Trump's Asian tour came in its concluding phase, nevertheless, as he met with Xi.

At that location, the influence relationship between counterparts of the global top two markets was decidedly different than the meetings the president had with his foreign counterparts in prior visits.

Absent were the usual ceremony and the display. Lacking armed forces orchestras, without ceremonial troops, no carefully crafted meal plans honoring shared goodwill. By contrast, the pair of counterparts and their top aides were seated across a long white negotiating table in a plain military building just adjacent to the landing strip of the city of Busan's international airport.

It was possibly a reflection of the significant risks that when Trump shook hands with Xi in the Korean city, he looked