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US presidential trips internationally have typically been an chance to display the power of the American nation on the international platform. Trump's week-long tour through Asian nations, on the other hand, has been a display of the clout of the president – but also, at points, of that authority's boundaries.

Trump's destinations in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea over the span of the opening phase were an demonstration in catering to a sometimes volatile president. It was an admission that the president, with the stroke of a pen, could enact tariffs and further steps that have the ability to devastate the economies of trade-reliant countries.

His sit-down with China's president Xi on the last day, though, was something entirely different.

It was a session of equals on the international scene, where the consequences for each country – for their markets, for their world reputation, for the welfare of their people – were significant.

With the Chinese, the president may wave his authority, but those steps entail ramifications. They involve a price.

• The US president hails 'amazing' meeting with the Chinese leader but no agreement reached
• The Chinese president and Trump establish brief pause as Beijing pursues extended strategy

For the opening segment, Trump's latest foray into international relations was successful.

Each stop was marked by a combination of conventional trade negotiations – arrangements made under the pressure of the president's "equivalent" taxes – and individual concessions that at points verged on the obsequious.

In Malaysia, the president gained entry to critical minerals and made progress toward concluding trade arrangements with ASEAN countries. He also oversaw a agreement that should alleviate territorial disputes between Thailand and Cambodia – the kind of "peace agreement" the US leader prefers to promote.

In the Japanese leg, Trump's official aircraft soared near a famous structure illuminated US flag colors – with a summit in golden.

Freshly appointed Prime Minister Takaichi detailed $550 billion in Japanese investments in the United States and gave the president a gift of two hundred fifty flowering trees for the United States' 250th birthday, and a golf equipment and bag that came from the late leader, the assassinated former prime minister who bonded with Trump in his initial presidency.

She also became the latest international head to propose Trump for his highly-coveted Nobel Peace Prize.

Not to be outdone, the Korean government welcomed Trump with cannons discharging a traditional greeting and a armed forces orchestra that played the leader's song and the Village People song – the band tune that has turned into a political gathering standard.

Head Lee Jae Myung held an "recognition ritual" for the US leader during which he presented the US president his nation's highest medal and a replica of an ancient Korean dynastic crown.

Noon repast with the Korean leader contained a "Conciliatory Treat" of gold-encrusted brownies. Afterward, the Koreans served Trump premium vintage at an intimate dinner in the president's recognition with half-dozen international heads participating in the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference conference.

In the America, Trump may be the subject of "No Kings" protests by the public who disapprove of his limit-pushing extensions of leader's control, but during his regional swing he was received as royalty.

And like the kings of ancient times, the president visited Korea demanding tribute – in the form of $200bn in monetary contributions, $20bn a per year, from South Korea to the United States, to be allocated at the discretion of the president's administration. Approval on the terms of those payments helped ensure that the tariff rate on Korean products to the US would decrease from twenty-five percent to under twenty percent.

The central moment of Trump's Asian tour took place in its concluding phase, however, as he encountered the Chinese leader.

There, the influence relationship between leaders of the global top two markets was markedly divergent than the exchanges the president had with his overseas colleagues in earlier stops.

Absent were typical pomp and the display. No service ensembles, absent honour guards, without carefully crafted dining selections celebrating mutual national affection. Instead, the both heads and their top aides were seated across a long white negotiating table in a unremarkable armed forces facility just adjacent to the landing strip of the southern port's air transport hub.

It was possibly a demonstration of the high stakes that when the president shook hands with Xi in the southern port, he looked