Will Xi’s North Korea visit show Kim that China remains Pyongyang’s most vital ally?

President Xi Jinping is heading to North Korea on Monday with the aim of proving that China remains the best prospect for reviving his host country’s economy. The carefully timed sequence of diplomatic meetings also reflects Beijing’s growing confidence on the world stage and its ability to engage directly with multiple powers. It will be Xi’s first foreign trip of the year and comes less than a month after he hosted back-to-back meetings with US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. “While hosting Trump and Putin in Beijing reflects China’s growing confidence in its global standing vis-a-vis two other…