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Presidential journeys internationally have typically been an chance to display the influence of the American nation on the world stage. Trump's five-day tour through East Asia, conversely, has been a show of the authority of Trump – but also, at points, of that authority's constraints.

The president's destinations in Malaysia, Japan and Korea over the course of the opening phase were an exercise in catering to a at times volatile American president. It was an admission that the leader, with the stroke of a document, could enact tariffs and further steps that have the ability to harm the financial systems of trade-reliant nations.

His discussion with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the final day, however, was a distinct situation.

It was a session of counterparts on the global stage, where the stakes for each country – for their economies, for their global standing, for the welfare of their populations – were enormous.

With the Chinese, Trump may flick his pen, but these moves come with consequences. They come with a toll.

• Trump hails 'remarkable' talks with Xi but no pact agreed
• Xi and the US leader find temporary truce as Beijing plays longer game

For the first four days, the president's recent foray into world politics was uneventful.

Each destination was marked by a combination of conventional commercial discussions – agreements made under the threat of the president's "equivalent" duties – and personal accommodations that at moments verged on the subservient.

In the Malaysian stop, Trump secured entry to critical minerals and made progress toward concluding commercial deals with south-east Asian nations. He also oversaw a agreement that should alleviate border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia – the type of "peace agreement" the president loves to promote.

In Japan, the president's official aircraft soared near a landmark tower lit US flag colors – with a summit in Trumpian gold.

Newly elected Prime Minister Takaichi described $550bn in Japan's financial commitments in the United States and presented the president a offering of a quarter-thousand sakura trees for America's 250th birthday, and a golf club and case that was owned by the late leader, the killed past head who bonded with the president in his previous administration.

She also became the newest foreign leader to nominate Trump for his highly-coveted international honor.

Keeping pace, the Korean government greeted the president with artillery discharging a 21-gun salute and a military band that played Hail to the Chief and the classic tune – the musical group tune that has become a political gathering standard.

Leader Lee held an "award event" for the US leader during which he gave the president his state's highest medal and a model of an traditional ruler's coronet.

Noon repast with the Korean leader included a "Diplomat's Sweet" of gold-covered baked goods. Afterward, the South Koreans provided Trump fine beverage at an intimate dinner in the president's honor with multiple global figures present at the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference conference.

In the US, Trump may be the subject of "Anti-Monarchy" rallies by US citizens who oppose his boundary-testing increases of leader's control, but during his Asian visit he was received as nobility.

And like the monarchs of ancient times, Trump visited the Korean nation requesting tribute – in the form of $two hundred billion in monetary contributions, $20 billion a year, from Korea to the US, to be invested at the direction of Trump's government. Approval on the terms of those contributions assisted in that the tariff rate on host nation goods to the America would decrease from a quarter to fifteen percent.

The primary focus of Trump's Asian tour occurred in its final hours, though, as he encountered the Chinese leader.

In that setting, the influence relationship between leaders of the global top two markets was noticeably different than the interactions Trump had with his foreign counterparts in earlier stops.

Missing were the usual pomp and the display. No military bands, no honour guards, no meticulously designed dining selections celebrating mutual national affection. By contrast, the pair of counterparts and their key staff sat across a extended light-colored discussion surface in a unremarkable service structure just adjacent to the landing strip of Busan's air transport hub.

It was perhaps a reflection of the significant risks that when Trump shook hands with the Chinese leader in Busan, he looked