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American leader visits internationally have traditionally been an opportunity to display the strength of the United States on the global scene. The president's multi-day swing through East Asia, on the other hand, has been a show of the power of the leader – but also, at moments, of that power's boundaries.

The president's destinations in Malaysia, Japan and Korea over the span of the first four days were an display in pleasing a sometimes mercurial US leader. It was an acknowledgement that the leader, with the flick of a document, could impose duties and additional actions that have the capacity to damage the economies of trade-reliant nations.

His meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, though, was something entirely different.

It was a meeting of equals on the global stage, where the stakes for the two powers – for their economies, for their world reputation, for the welfare of their people – were immense.

With the Chinese, the US leader may use his authority, but such actions involve ramifications. They carry a price.

• The US president describes 'amazing' encounter with Xi but no trade deal reached
• Xi and Trump establish brief pause as China pursues extended strategy

For the initial phase, the president's most recent venture into global diplomacy was uneventful.

Each stop was marked by a combination of conventional trade negotiations – arrangements made under the pressure of Trump's "equivalent" duties – and special treatment that at times bordered on the obsequious.

In Malaysia, Trump secured access to critical minerals and made advances toward concluding trade arrangements with south-east Asian nations. He also presided over a treaty that should reduce border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia – the kind of "peace deal" the president prefers to tout.

In Japan, Trump's helicopter flew past a Tokyo Tower displayed red, white and blue – with a summit in Trumpian gold.

Newly elected Head Sanai Takaichi outlined $550bn in Japan's financial commitments in the America and presented the American president a offering of a quarter-thousand sakura trees for America's semiquincentennial, and a golf equipment and bag that was owned by the late leader, the murdered ex-leader who connected with the president in his first term.

She also became the latest foreign leader to suggest Trump for his much-desired international honor.

Not to be outdone, South Korea welcomed the president with guns discharging a honor salute and a service ensemble that played the presidential anthem and the classic tune – the band song that has become a political gathering theme.

Head the Korean president held an "award event" for the US leader during which he presented the American leader his state's top honor and a copy of an ancient Korean dynastic crown.

Noon repast with Lee included a "Conciliatory Treat" of gold-encrusted chocolate squares. Later that day, the hosts served Trump premium vintage at an private meal in the president's honour with six world leaders attending the APEC summit.

In the US, the president may be the target of "Anti-Monarchy" rallies by the public who disapprove of his limit-pushing expansions of leader's control, but during his regional visit he was handled as monarchy.

And like the kings of history, Trump visited Korea requesting contribution – in the form of $200bn in financial transfers, $20 billion a annually, from the host nation to the US, to be invested at the direction of Trump's government. Approval on the conditions of those payments assisted in that the tariff rate on South Korean goods to the United States would decrease from 25% to fifteen percent.

The main event of the president's regional visit occurred in its final hours, however, as he met with the Chinese leader.

In that setting, the authority balance between heads of the planet's biggest economic powers was markedly divergent than the exchanges Trump had with his international peers in previous days.

Missing were the usual ceremony and the spectacle. No armed forces orchestras, no ceremonial troops, missing carefully crafted meal plans celebrating mutual national affection. Rather, the both heads and their top aides sat across a long white meeting furniture in a unremarkable military building just adjacent to the landing strip of the city of Busan's international airport.

It was possibly a indication of the major consequences that when the president shook hands with the Chinese leader in the Korean city, he appeared