The US President's Asia Visit Involves Deals, Deference and a Significant Final Meeting

Presidential journeys overseas have traditionally been an chance to showcase the strength of the US on the world stage. Donald Trump's week-long swing through eastern Asia, conversely, has been a display of the authority of the leader – but also, at times, of that influence's limitations.

Trump's visits in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea over the span of the first four days were an display in catering to a sometimes unpredictable president. It was an recognition that Trump, with the signature of a pen, could enact taxes and other measures that have the ability to damage the economies of export-oriented nations.

His discussion with China's president Xi Jinping on the last day, nevertheless, was something entirely different.

It was a meeting of counterparts on the international scene, where the risks for each country – for their financial health, for their global standing, for the well-being of their populations – were immense.

With the Chinese, the US leader may wave his power, but such actions involve repercussions. They come with a cost.

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For the first four days, the president's recent foray into international relations was uneventful.

Each stop was punctuated by a mix of standard commercial discussions – deals made under the shadow of Trump's "mutual" duties – and special treatment that at points approached the obsequious.

In Malaysia, Trump obtained rights to key materials and made advances toward completing trade arrangements with regional partners. He also led a pact that should ease frontier issues between Thailand and Cambodia – the kind of "peace agreement" the American president prefers to highlight.

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

Recently chosen Head the Japanese leader outlined $550 billion in Japan's financial commitments in the US and presented the president a gift of a quarter-thousand cherry trees for the United States' 250th anniversary, and a golf equipment and bag that was owned by the late leader, the killed past head who connected with the president in his previous administration.

She also became the most recent overseas counterpart to nominate the president for his highly-coveted international honor.

Matching the effort, Korea welcomed the president with cannons performing a traditional greeting and a armed forces orchestra that performed the leader's song and YMCA – the musical group tune that has evolved into a political gathering standard.

Head the Korean president held an "recognition ritual" for Trump during which he gave the American leader his state's top honor and a replica of an historical royal headpiece.

Lunch with the Korean leader contained a "Peacemaker's Dessert" of gilded brownies. Afterward, the Koreans served Trump vineyard wine at an intimate dinner in the president's honor with multiple world leaders present at the APEC meeting.

In the America, the president may be the focus of "Anti-Monarchy" rallies by Americans who oppose his limit-pushing increases of presidential power, but during his regional swing he was treated like monarchy.

And like the monarchs of history, the president visited South Korea demanding payment – in the shape of $two hundred billion in cash payments, $20bn a year, from Korea to the America, to be allocated at the direction of the president's government. Approval on the details of those payments assisted in that the tariff rate on South Korean goods to the US would fall from twenty-five percent to fifteen percent.

The central moment of the president's Asian tour came in its final hours, though, as he met with Xi.

In that setting, the power dynamic between leaders of the global top two markets was noticeably distinct than the meetings Trump had with his foreign counterparts in prior visits.

Absent were all the pageantry and the display. Without any service ensembles, no ceremonial troops, missing carefully crafted dining selections celebrating mutual national affection. Instead, the two leaders and their key staff were seated across a large pale meeting furniture in a plain military building just near the airstrip of the city of Busan's international airport.

It was possibly a demonstration of the high stakes that when Trump exchanged greetings with the Chinese leader in the southern port, he seemed