Trump's Asia Tour Involves Agreements, Deference and a Revealing Closing Encounter

American leader visits internationally have typically been an chance to demonstrate the strength of the American nation on the world stage. Donald Trump's multi-day swing through eastern Asia, on the other hand, has been a demonstration of the power of the leader – but also, at moments, of that power's boundaries.

Trump's stops in Malaysia, Japan and Korea over the course of the opening phase were an exercise in catering to a sometimes mercurial US leader. It was an recognition that Trump, with the signature of a document, could introduce taxes and further steps that have the capacity to devastate the markets of trade-reliant countries.

His meeting with Beijing's head Xi Jinping on Thursday, nevertheless, was a completely different scenario.

It was a meeting of peers on the world platform, where the risks for both nations – for their markets, for their international prestige, for the well-being of their populations – were immense.

With Beijing, Trump may wave his authority, but these moves entail consequences. They involve a cost.

• Trump describes 'remarkable' encounter with the Chinese leader but no pact agreed
• Xi and the US leader reach temporary truce as China pursues extended strategy

For the first four days, the president's recent venture into international relations was smooth sailing.

Each stop was punctuated by a mix of conventional economic talks – arrangements made under the threat of the president's "equivalent" taxes – and individual concessions that at points verged on the obsequious.

In Malaysia, the president obtained access to key materials and made progress toward completing economic agreements with regional partners. He also presided over a pact that should alleviate frontier issues between Thailand and Cambodia – the kind of "truce" the American president prefers to tout.

In Japan, Trump's Marine One flew past a Tokyo Tower lit American colors – with a summit in gilded.

Recently chosen Leader Sanai Takaichi described $550 billion in Japanese investments in the United States and presented the American president a present of a quarter-thousand sakura trees for America's 250th anniversary, and a sports gear and bag that was owned by Shinzo Abe, the murdered past head who connected with Trump in his initial presidency.

She also became the newest overseas counterpart to propose the president for his much-desired peace award.

Not to be outdone, Korea welcomed Trump with cannons performing a traditional greeting and a armed forces orchestra that rendered the presidential anthem and the Village People song – the Village People song that has evolved into a Trump rally theme.

President Lee Jae Myung held an "award event" for Trump during which he gave the president his nation's premier award and a model of an historical royal headpiece.

Lunch with Lee included a "Diplomat's Sweet" of gold-covered brownies. Subsequently, the hosts provided Trump vineyard wine at an exclusive gathering in the president's honour with half-dozen international heads attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference summit.

In the United States, the president may be the target of "Anti-Authority" demonstrations by Americans who disapprove of his limit-pushing extensions of presidential power, but during his Asian tour he was handled as monarchy.

And like the rulers of ancient times, Trump came to Korea demanding tribute – in the guise of $200 billion in cash payments, $20bn a annually, from South Korea to the America, to be allocated at the discretion of the president's leadership. Agreement on the details of those contributions helped ensure that the tariff rate on South Korean products to the US would fall from a quarter to 15%.

The primary focus of Trump's Asian tour took place in its concluding phase, however, as he met with Xi.

There, the influence relationship between leaders of the world's two largest economies was decidedly divergent than the interactions the president had with his international peers in previous days.

Absent were typical pomp and the pageantry. Lacking armed forces orchestras, without honour guards, missing meticulously designed dining selections celebrating mutual national affection. Instead, the both heads and their key staff positioned themselves across a extended light-colored negotiating table in a unremarkable service structure just near the airstrip of the southern port's international airport.

It was perhaps a demonstration of the major consequences that when the president made contact with the Chinese leader in Busan, he looked