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Presidential journeys abroad have historically been an occasion to display the power of the United States on the world stage. Trump's multi-day tour through East Asia, by contrast, has been a show of the power of Trump – but also, at times, of that authority's constraints.

Trump's stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea over the duration of the opening phase were an display in satisfying a occasionally volatile president. It was an acknowledgement that the president, with the signature of a hand, could impose taxes and other measures that have the capacity to devastate the markets of trade-reliant nations.

His discussion with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the final day, nevertheless, was something entirely different.

It was a encounter of counterparts on the world platform, where the risks for both nations – for their financial health, for their global standing, for the welfare of their people – were immense.

With China, the president may use his pen, but these moves come with consequences. They carry a cost.

• The US president praises 'amazing' talks with Xi but no trade deal agreed
• The Chinese president and the US leader reach brief pause as Beijing pursues extended strategy

For the initial phase, the president's latest venture into world politics was successful.

Each stop was punctuated by a mix of conventional trade negotiations – deals made under the pressure of Trump's "mutual" duties – and special treatment that at moments verged on the deferential.

In Malaysia, Trump obtained rights to critical minerals and made headway toward finalizing commercial deals with south-east Asian nations. He also oversaw a agreement that should reduce territorial disputes between Thailand and Cambodia – the sort of "truce" the president loves to promote.

In the Japanese leg, the president's Marine One soared near a Tokyo Tower lit red, white and blue – with a summit in Trumpian gold.

Recently chosen Prime Minister Takaichi described $half-trillion in Japanese investments in the United States and offered the US leader a offering of two hundred fifty sakura trees for America's 250th birthday, and a sports gear and case that came from the late leader, the assassinated ex-leader who developed ties with the president in his previous administration.

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

Keeping pace, Korea welcomed the president with artillery performing a honor salute and a service ensemble that played Hail to the Chief and the Village People song – the Village People anthem that has become a Trump rally anthem.

Leader Lee held an "recognition ritual" for Trump during which he gave the president his country's highest medal and a copy of an ancient Korean dynastic crown.

Noon repast with Lee contained a "Conciliatory Treat" of gilded baked goods. Later that day, the South Koreans served Trump vineyard wine at an private meal in the president's honor with six international heads attending the APEC conference.

In the America, the president may be the focus of "Anti-Monarchy" rallies by Americans who reject his limit-pushing expansions of presidential power, but during his regional visit he was treated like royalty.

And like the rulers of old, the president visited Korea demanding contribution – in the form of $two hundred billion in financial transfers, $twenty billion a per year, from the host nation to the US, to be used at the direction of Trump's government. Consent on the conditions of those transfers helped ensure that the duty level on host nation exports to the United States would fall from 25% to 15%.

The central moment of the president's regional visit came in its concluding phase, nevertheless, as he encountered Xi.

There, the power dynamic between counterparts of the global top two markets was decidedly different than the meetings the president had with his foreign counterparts in earlier stops.

Not present were all the pageantry and the display. Lacking service ensembles, without ceremonial troops, no carefully crafted menus honoring shared goodwill. By contrast, the pair of counterparts and their senior advisors were seated across a extended light-colored negotiating table in a plain armed forces facility just off the runway of Busan's air transport hub.

It was likely a indication of the major consequences that when the president shook hands with the Chinese leader in Busan, he seemed