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Presidential journeys abroad have historically been an opportunity to showcase the strength of the United States on the global scene. Trump's week-long trip through eastern Asia, by contrast, has been a show of the clout of the president – but also, at times, of that power's constraints.

The president's destinations in Malaysia, Japan and Korea over the span of the initial days were an demonstration in satisfying a at times mercurial US leader. It was an admission that the leader, with the signature of a document, could enact duties and further steps that have the ability to damage the economies of export-dependent countries.

His sit-down with Chinese leader Xi on the final day, though, was a completely different scenario.

It was a meeting of peers on the global stage, where the risks for both nations – for their financial health, for their world reputation, for the welfare of their people – were enormous.

With China, the US leader may wave his authority, but those steps entail ramifications. They come with a toll.

• The US president hails 'remarkable' encounter with Xi but no pact reached
• Xi and the US leader reach short-term ceasefire as Beijing pursues extended strategy

For the initial phase, Trump's most recent foray into world politics was uneventful.

Each stop was punctuated by a mix of traditional trade negotiations – deals made under the pressure of Trump's "mutual" taxes – and individual concessions that at moments verged on the deferential.

In Malaysia, the president obtained access to essential resources and made headway toward completing commercial deals with south-east Asian nations. He also led a treaty that should alleviate territorial disputes between Thailand and Cambodia – the type of "truce" the US leader loves to tout.

In Japan, Trump's helicopter passed by a famous structure displayed American colors – with a summit in golden.

Freshly appointed Leader the Japanese leader detailed $550bn in Tokyo's funding in the America and gave the US leader a gift of 250 sakura trees for the United States' 250th anniversary, and a golf club and bag that came from Shinzo Abe, the assassinated ex-leader who bonded with Trump in his first term.

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

Not to be outdone, the Korean government welcomed Trump with cannons performing a 21-gun salute and a armed forces orchestra that performed the leader's song and the Village People song – the band anthem that has evolved into a political gathering standard.

Head Lee Jae Myung held an "honour ceremony" for the US leader during which he gave the American leader his country's premier award and a copy of an historical royal headpiece.

Midday meal with the Korean leader contained a "Peacemaker's Dessert" of gold-encrusted brownies. Later that day, the Koreans provided Trump fine beverage at an intimate dinner in the president's honor with six world leaders participating in the APEC summit.

In the United States, Trump may be the focus of "No Kings" demonstrations by Americans who disapprove of his authority-expanding increases of presidential power, but during his Asian swing he was received as royalty.

And like the kings of old, the president arrived in Korea demanding payment – in the form of $200 billion in financial transfers, $20bn a year, from the host nation to the United States, to be invested at the guidance of Trump's leadership. Agreement on the terms of those payments contributed to that the tax percentage on South Korean goods to the US would fall from a quarter to 15%.

The primary focus of the president's Asian tour took place in its last moments, however, as he met with Xi.

In that setting, the influence relationship between heads of the planet's biggest economic powers was decidedly distinct than the interactions Trump had with his overseas colleagues in previous days.

Absent were the usual pomp and the spectacle. Without any service ensembles, absent honour guards, without thoughtfully prepared dining selections celebrating shared goodwill. Rather, the two leaders and their top aides sat across a long white discussion surface in a unremarkable service structure just near the airstrip of the southern port's international airport.

It was perhaps a indication of the significant risks that when Trump made contact with Xi in the southern port, he looked