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Presidential journeys abroad have historically been an opportunity to showcase the influence of the American nation on the world stage. Donald Trump's multi-day tour through East Asia, on the other hand, has been a display of the power of the leader – but also, at points, of that power's limitations.

The president's stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea over the span of the first four days were an display in pleasing a occasionally volatile US leader. It was an acknowledgement that Trump, with the flick of a hand, could impose taxes and additional actions that have the potential to devastate the markets of export-dependent countries.

His sit-down with China's president Xi on the final day, though, was a distinct situation.

It was a meeting of counterparts on the world platform, where the consequences for the two powers – for their markets, for their global standing, for the welfare of their citizens – were enormous.

With Beijing, the US leader may use his power, but such actions involve ramifications. They carry a cost.

• The US president describes 'amazing' talks with Xi but no pact agreed
• Xi and the US leader reach temporary truce as Beijing pursues extended strategy

For the first four days, the president's recent foray into international relations was successful.

Each stop was marked by a combination of traditional economic talks – deals made under the threat of Trump's "mutual" tariffs – and special treatment that at points verged on the obsequious.

In the Malaysian stop, the president obtained access to essential resources and made advances toward finalizing economic agreements with regional partners. He also presided over a agreement that should alleviate border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia – the kind of "truce" the US leader prefers to highlight.

In Japan, Trump's Marine One flew past a Tokyo Tower lit red, white and blue – with a top in gilded.

Newly elected Leader the Japanese leader outlined $550bn in Japanese investments in the America and presented the president a gift of two hundred fifty flowering trees for the United States' 250th anniversary, and a golf equipment and case that came from former Prime Minister Abe, the murdered former prime minister who connected with Trump in his previous administration.

She also became the newest overseas counterpart to propose the president for his highly-coveted international honor.

Not to be outdone, South Korea welcomed Trump with artillery discharging a 21-gun salute and a military band that played the presidential anthem and the classic tune – the band anthem that has turned into a presidential event anthem.

Leader Lee Jae Myung held an "recognition ritual" for Trump during which he gave the US president his state's top honor and a model of an historical royal headpiece.

Midday meal with Lee included a "Conciliatory Treat" of gold-covered baked goods. Later that day, the South Koreans served the president fine beverage at an private meal in Trump's honor with six international heads participating in the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference conference.

In the America, the president may be the focus of "No Kings" rallies by Americans who disapprove of his boundary-testing increases of executive authority, but during his regional tour he was handled as monarchy.

And like the monarchs of old, the president visited the Korean nation requesting tribute – in the guise of $200bn in monetary contributions, $twenty billion a per year, from Korea to the United States, to be invested at the discretion of Trump's government. Agreement on the conditions of those transfers helped ensure that the tax percentage on South Korean goods to the America would decrease from a quarter to under twenty percent.

The central moment of Trump's Asian tour occurred in its last moments, however, as he met with Xi.

In that setting, the power dynamic between heads of the global top two markets was markedly divergent than the meetings the president had with his international peers in earlier stops.

Missing were all the ceremony and the spectacle. Lacking service ensembles, no ceremonial troops, missing thoughtfully prepared meal plans marking bilateral friendship. By contrast, the pair of counterparts and their top aides sat across a large pale meeting furniture in a unremarkable armed forces facility just off the runway of Busan's air transport hub.

It was perhaps a reflection of the major consequences that when Trump shook hands with Xi in the Korean city, he appeared