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Presidential journeys internationally have traditionally been an occasion to display the influence of the United States on the global scene. The president's week-long tour through Asian nations, conversely, has been a show of the power of the leader – but also, at times, of that power's constraints.

Trump's visits in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea over the course of the initial days were an exercise in catering to a at times unpredictable American president. It was an acknowledgement that the leader, with the stroke of a document, could introduce taxes and further steps that have the potential to devastate the markets of export-dependent states.

His meeting with Chinese leader Xi on the last day, though, was a distinct situation.

It was a encounter of counterparts on the global stage, where the consequences for both nations – for their economies, for their global standing, for the prosperity of their citizens – were immense.

With the Chinese, the president may use his authority, but such actions come with repercussions. They involve a toll.

• Trump describes 'impressive' meeting with Xi but no agreement finalized
• Xi and the US leader reach brief pause as China adopts strategic patience

For the first four days, Trump's latest foray into global diplomacy was uneventful.

Each stop was punctuated by a combination of traditional trade negotiations – agreements made under the shadow of Trump's "equivalent" tariffs – and personal accommodations that at points approached the deferential.

In Malaysia, the president gained access to key materials and made advances toward finalizing economic agreements with ASEAN countries. He also led a pact that should alleviate frontier issues between Thailand and Cambodia – the kind of "peace agreement" the president loves to highlight.

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

Recently chosen Head Sanai Takaichi detailed $550bn in Tokyo's funding in the America and offered the president a gift of a quarter-thousand sakura trees for America's 250th birthday, and a sports gear and bag that belonged to Shinzo Abe, the assassinated past head who connected with Trump in his initial presidency.

She also became the most recent overseas counterpart to suggest Trump for his much-desired international honor.

Matching the effort, Korea received Trump with guns discharging a traditional greeting and a armed forces orchestra that performed the presidential anthem and the Village People song – the musical group song that has become a political gathering theme.

Leader Lee held an "award event" for Trump during which he awarded the president his country's top honor and a replica of an historical royal headpiece.

Noon repast with Lee featured a "Peacemaker's Dessert" of gilded brownies. Subsequently, the South Koreans served the president premium vintage at an exclusive gathering in the president's honour with half-dozen world leaders attending the APEC conference.

In the US, the president may be the target of "No Kings" rallies by the public who reject his limit-pushing increases of leader's control, but during his East Asia tour he was handled as nobility.

And like the kings of history, Trump came to Korea requesting tribute – in the form of $200bn in monetary contributions, $20bn a per year, from the host nation to the America, to be allocated at the guidance of the president's leadership. Approval on the details of those transfers assisted in that the duty level on South Korean exports to the US would fall from a quarter to fifteen percent.

The main event of the president's regional visit took place in its last moments, though, as he met with Xi.

In that setting, 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 earlier stops.

Missing were typical ceremony and the pageantry. Without any military bands, absent protocol units, without meticulously designed menus celebrating mutual national affection. Rather, the pair of counterparts and their key staff positioned themselves across a large pale meeting furniture in a plain service structure just near the airstrip of Busan's air transport hub.

It was possibly a demonstration of the major consequences that when Trump shook hands with Xi in the Korean city, he seemed