You're absolutely right with your observations.
I also think that the director-actor relationship of Tsai ming-liang and lee kang-sheng has contributed much to the qualities of their films, and is one of the best creative relationships in film history.
And after having seen Lee's "The Missing" which is the best film I've seen this year (though it hasn't come to cinemas yet), I wonder who influenced who, as i think "The Missing" is at least as good as Tsai's films.