The US President's Asia Trip Includes Agreements, Deference and a Insightful Final Meeting

Presidential journeys abroad have traditionally been an chance to showcase the influence of the United States on the world stage. Trump's five-day trip through East Asia, by contrast, has been a show of the clout of Trump – but also, at moments, of that authority's constraints.

The president's visits in Malaysia, Japan and Korea over the span of the opening phase were an demonstration in pleasing a at times volatile US leader. It was an acknowledgement that the leader, with the flick of a hand, could impose tariffs and other measures that have the capacity to devastate the economies of export-oriented countries.

His meeting with China's president Xi Jinping on Thursday, nevertheless, was something entirely different.

It was a meeting of peers on the global stage, where the stakes for each country – for their economies, for their global standing, for the prosperity of their people – were immense.

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

• Trump describes 'amazing' talks with Xi but no agreement finalized
• Xi and Trump find short-term ceasefire as Beijing adopts strategic patience

For the initial phase, Trump's latest venture into international relations was smooth sailing.

Each destination was characterized by a combination of standard trade negotiations – arrangements made under the threat of the president's "equivalent" tariffs – and personal accommodations that at points bordered on the subservient.

In Malaysia, the president gained entry to essential resources and made headway toward completing economic agreements with south-east Asian nations. He also presided over a pact that should alleviate territorial disputes between Thailand and Cambodia – the type of "truce" the president prefers to promote.

In the Japanese leg, the president's helicopter passed by a landmark tower lit US flag colors – with a summit in golden.

Recently chosen Head the Japanese leader described $550bn in Japanese investments in the America and offered the American president a gift of a quarter-thousand flowering trees for the United States' 250th anniversary, and a golf equipment and bag that was owned by former Prime Minister Abe, the assassinated former prime minister who bonded with Trump in his initial presidency.

She also became the latest overseas counterpart to nominate Trump for his highly-coveted peace award.

Not to be outdone, South Korea greeted the president with artillery discharging a 21-gun salute and a service ensemble that played Hail to the Chief and YMCA – the musical group anthem that has turned into a presidential event standard.

President Lee held an "recognition ritual" for Trump during which he awarded the president his country's top honor and a model of an ancient Korean dynastic crown.

Midday meal with Lee featured a "Peacemaker's Dessert" of gold-covered chocolate squares. Later that day, the Koreans served Trump premium vintage at an intimate dinner in Trump's honour with half-dozen global figures participating in the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference meeting.

In the America, Trump may be the focus of "Anti-Monarchy" demonstrations by US citizens who reject his limit-pushing extensions of presidential power, but during his regional visit he was handled as royalty.

And like the monarchs of history, the president came to the Korean nation requesting payment – in the form of $200bn in monetary contributions, $twenty billion a annually, from the host nation to the US, to be used at the guidance of the president's administration. Agreement on the terms of those transfers helped ensure that the tax percentage on South Korean goods to the America would decrease from twenty-five percent to 15%.

The primary focus of Trump's Asian tour took place in its concluding phase, though, as he met with the Chinese leader.

There, the power dynamic between heads of the world's two largest economies was noticeably divergent than the meetings the president had with his foreign counterparts in previous days.

Missing were typical pomp and the display. Lacking service ensembles, no ceremonial troops, missing thoughtfully prepared meal plans celebrating mutual national affection. Rather, the pair of counterparts and their key staff sat across a large pale discussion surface in a nondescript armed forces facility just off the runway of the city of Busan's international airport.

It was perhaps a reflection of the significant risks that when Trump made contact with Xi in the Korean city, he seemed