The 15th century tomb of a prince from Sulu, in what is now the Philippines, is one of the most significant tourist attractions in the city of Dezhou, China.
“In 1417 (15th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty) three kings headed a delegation of over 340 people to China. On the way home the King of the East Sulu state died of disease in Dezhou. Yongle granted a magnificent funeral fit for a Chinese emperor and himself wrote the epitaph, had monuments and stone tablets erected along the path up to the tomb.
I have that from this page. A little further down is this version of the story:
According to this version, “Paduka Batara,” the “Eastern King of Sulu, known in Chinese records as Pa-Tu-Ko Pa-Ta-La or Pa-Tu-Ko Pa-Ha-La, traveled to China in 1417 during the reign of Emperor Yongle with an entourage of more than 340 persons and presented to the Emperor a tribute consisting of a letter in golden script, pearls, and other precious gifts…Yongle gave him official seals, commissions, and other gifts.” He acknowledged the king as a “true ruler.” “En route to his homeland, after 27 days in China, the Sulu chief fell ill and died in Dezhou…Two of his sons stayed behind to honor and guard their father’s tomb. Their descendants with the surnames An and Wen continue to live today in Dezhou.”
Are there more extensive records about this prince? What more is known about him?
Juan 325 of the Mingshi describes him as Badugebahala (巴都葛叭哈剌) from the state of Sulu (蘇祿). It mentions that he died in Dezhou. The Annals for Emperor Yongle, in juan 7, describe the embassy of the three kings as well but not the death or the gifts afterwards. The annals uses the term "coming to court" (來朝), which is more important than "coming for tribute" (入貢), since many more states performed the latter than the former. The information provided in the Mingshi on Sulu is not extensive, showing it wasn't as important as Korea, Japan, or Vietnam, which all have information. This means that Emperor Yongle's actions weren't meant to boost Ming China's ties to what the empire saw as an insignificant state. What other information are you looking for specifically?
In regards to whether the Sulu king's honors were standard or not, the evidence says it was standard like the Ming's actions in similar circumstances. This would not be the only time that a foreign dignitary died on Chinese soil. From the same juan: In the third year of Emperor Yongle's reign, Manarejiana (麻那惹加那), king of the state of "Boni" (浡泥) died in Beijing. In the ninth year of Emperor Xuande's reign, there was something similar. Halizhihan (哈利之漢), brother of the king of Samudera (蘇門答剌), died in Beijing. These three people (the two kings and the brother of a king) all received generous but different forms of treatment after they died, so there's no specific protocol other than the emperor's whim.
There is one more example I found, in juan 326, of a foreigner whose death in China merited a description in the Mingshi. A man named Li Mabao (利瑪竇), from the faraway state of "Yidaliya" (意大里亞), died in the 39th year of Wanli and was granted just a mere burial. However, the Ming court understood he wasn't a foreign dignitary, so his treatment can't exactly be compared to the other examples I mentioned. This man is known in English as Matteo Ricci.
In summary, the Sulu king's posthumous honors were uncommon but not unique. His treatment stems from imperial largesse and not realpolitik.
I don't know. However, the place to look would be the official Ming history. Do you read Chinese? The way to go about this is to figure out the Chinese characters for the dude's name, then do a search of the Ming Shi (Ming official history). OR find the 15th year of the Yongle reign in the Ming shi and start reading until you find something.