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American leader visits internationally have historically been an occasion to showcase the power of the US on the global scene. The president's week-long trip through Asian nations, conversely, has been a demonstration of the authority of the leader – but also, at points, of that power's limitations.

The president's visits in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea over the span of the opening phase were an demonstration in satisfying a sometimes mercurial president. It was an acknowledgement that Trump, with the flick of a document, could impose taxes and additional actions that have the ability to devastate the financial systems of export-dependent nations.

His discussion with Beijing's head Xi on Thursday, nevertheless, was a distinct situation.

It was a meeting of peers on the global stage, where the risks for each country – for their markets, for their global standing, for the well-being of their citizens – were significant.

With the Chinese, Trump may wave his power, but these moves come with repercussions. They come with a cost.

• The US president praises 'remarkable' meeting with Xi but no pact reached
• Xi and the US leader find short-term ceasefire as China plays longer game

For the first four days, the president's recent foray into global diplomacy was uneventful.

Each stop was punctuated by a blend of standard economic talks – arrangements made under the shadow of Trump's "reciprocal" duties – and individual concessions that at times bordered on the deferential.

In the Malaysian stop, Trump secured entry to key materials and made progress toward concluding economic agreements with regional partners. He also presided over a pact that should alleviate territorial disputes between Thailand and Cambodia – the kind of "peace deal" the US leader loves to promote.

In the Japanese leg, Trump's official aircraft flew past a Tokyo Tower displayed American colors – with a peak in Trumpian gold.

Freshly appointed Leader Sanai Takaichi described $half-trillion in Japanese investments in the United States and offered the president a present of two hundred fifty flowering trees for the United States' 250th anniversary, and a golf equipment and bag that was owned by the late leader, the assassinated ex-leader who developed ties with Trump in his previous administration.

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

Not to be outdone, the Korean government greeted Trump with guns performing a 21-gun salute and a service ensemble that rendered Hail to the Chief and the classic tune – the musical group song that has become a presidential event standard.

President the Korean president held an "award event" for Trump during which he awarded the American leader his country's highest medal and a model of an traditional ruler's coronet.

Midday meal with the Korean leader featured a "Peacemaker's Dessert" of gold-covered baked goods. Later that day, the hosts offered Trump vineyard wine at an exclusive gathering in Trump's honor with half-dozen world leaders present at the regional summit meeting.

In the US, Trump may be the target of "Anti-Authority" protests by the public who reject his authority-expanding increases of presidential power, but during his Asian visit he was handled as monarchy.

And like the monarchs of history, the president came to South Korea seeking payment – in the form of $200bn in financial transfers, $20 billion a annually, from the host nation to the US, to be used at the direction of the president's government. Approval on the conditions of those transfers helped ensure that the tariff rate on South Korean products to the US would drop from twenty-five percent to fifteen percent.

The main event of Trump's regional visit took place in its final hours, though, as he sat down with the Chinese leader.

In that setting, the authority balance between counterparts of the world's two largest economies was decidedly divergent than the interactions the president had with his overseas colleagues in prior visits.

Absent were the usual ceremony and the spectacle. Lacking armed forces orchestras, no protocol units, without meticulously designed meal plans honoring shared goodwill. By contrast, the both heads and their senior advisors positioned themselves across a large pale discussion surface in a nondescript service structure just near the airstrip of Busan's international airport.

It was likely a reflection of the high stakes that when the president shook hands with Xi in the Korean city, he looked