Is this “global Britain”? According to the Government’s official line, Britain outside the EU...“a beacon for free trade”. These are worthy ambitions. Looking at the Government today, however, “global” is not the word that comes to mind.


Consider the past two weeks. Even as the EU ratcheted up its rhetoric, three of Britain’s most senior ministers focused on international affairs became embroiled in scandals of their own making. Our defence and intern...l aid ministers had to go, and the Foreign Secretary ...ed to shoot his mouth off. The likelihood that we are forced to leave the EU with no deal, due both to our own Government’s incompetence and the EU’s absurd and excessive demands, is rising.


Never mind,cheap jordan shoes,http://www.wiski.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3812568cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, say the optimists. We’ll just go for the “WTO option”. Transitioning on to World Trade Organisation terms for half of our trade would be a shock, but the economy would adjust, and, with a strong government and well-executed plan, we would cope. It would certainly be better than signing up to be an EU vassal state in perpetuity.


If this is the path chosen, however, we need to proceed with our eyes open. It might not be making the headlines here, but the WTO is heading for a dangerous period.


Last week, Donald Trump travelled to Vietnam on his tour of Asia,http://www.culturesclothing.com/forum/activitycheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, and gave a speech to the members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. His message was unambiguous: “We have not been treated fairly by the World Trade Organisation,” he said. Too many WTO members had engaged in “chronic trade abuses”, he claimed: “They ignored the rules to gain advantage over those who followed the rules.” He added: “Those days are over.”





The US is already putting the WTO under pressure. For months, it has been blocking the appointment of two judges to the organisation’s highest judicial court, the appellate body, responsible for settling disputes between member states. Three judges are needed to sit on each case and so, to cope with the workload, it is meant to have seven members in total. But thanks to the US’s current policy, it is down to five, and in December, the term of another judge will expire.


The US has a list of grievances about the WTO, but chief among them is that its appellate decisions are undermining the US’s use of anti-dumping tariffs (a tax meant to protect its economy against imports it deems to be unfairly subsidised). The US still wins many more WTO cases than it loses but, as China has learnt how to use the system more effectively, the US has started to lose more of the ones that matter to it.


The root of the problem is that China’s heavily state-subsidised economy allows its companies to undercut their rivals in more capitalist economies like the US and Europe. When China joined the WTO in 2001, it promised to transform itself into a market economy and allow its trading partners better access to its markets. It has made some progress towards those goals, but not as much as it promised.


Over the same period, Chinese imports to the US have risen more than fourfold. This, according to Mr Trump, is costing thousands of industrial jobs. China’s economy is now so big that it effectively sets the price for thousands of commodities and industrial goods across the world. Yet, at the WTO, it still hides behind rules designed for much smaller, developing economies.


Now, any trade economist would tell you that it is the country over-subsidising its industries that will ultimately lose out from the situation. We, the capitalist wor...cheap inputs, like steel, which should make our advanced firms more competitive. Unfortunately,cheap jordans, this is also happening at a time when developed countries are struggling to educate their populations sufficiently for the better jobs higher up the economic food chain. With its lack of compunction about stealing intellectual property, its channelling of vast state resources into research and its good schooling,http://www.yunshannongchang.com/guestbook.aspcheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, China is intent on competing for the better jobs as well as old-fashioned factory work.




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The question of what to do about China is a global headache. Despite their collective interest in pushing Beijing to reform its economy more quickly, developed countries are failing to co-ordinate their responses. In fact, one of Mr Trump’s first acts as president was to throw out one major agreement that sought to do just that, the Trans-Pacific Partnership.


The problem with the US’s WTO strategy is that it carries greater risks than rewards. Even if the US does get its way, it’s not clear that using more “trade defence measures”, as the anti-dumping tariffs are called, will address the issue. These measures might slow down or choke off some Chinese imports, but they won’t bring back the jobs that were lost and, without global co-ordination, will simply divert trade elsewhere.


The risk is that the whole WTO system grinds to a halt – its appellate body already has a backlog of some 40 cases. In turn, China could decide to take retaliatory action outside the WTO. All of this could take us right back to the days before the rules-based trading system, when it was much easier to start a dangerous trade war.


What’s needed is for countries like the US, the EU, Japan and, in due course, the UK to speak with one voice. The WTO is currently unable to move forwards with another round of trade liberalisation talks, but those countries that can move should forge ahead with deepening ties and make it clear that China is only welcome once it proves it can follow the rules. The real prize, after all, is to get China to open up its economy more.


None of this means that Britain won’t be able to shift on to WTO rules in determining and monitoring our tariffs and trade policy. But the third, crucial leg of the WTO’s work, dispute settlement, is under grave threat.


If we are really serious about “going global”, our political leaders should be following these debates and working out how to become a bridge between the capitalist economies that want to address China’s zero-sum mercantilism. We are at the start of a battle for the future of global trade and our national interests are at stake. But instead of gearing up to enter the fray, we are lurching from one ridiculous domestic “crisis” to another. Forget going global. Westminster, as usual, is going local.



I love to go to one of the old bathhouses, such as Chreli Abano, where you hire private rooms as an individual or a group by the hour. Groups will naturally be either male or female. You’ll be massaged and washed by a woman if you’re in a group of women, or by a man if it’s a group of men. The foam-drenched fabrics and the natural hot springs beneath the bathhouse combine to give you a deep clean. I always come out feeling marvellously rejuvenated.

What’s the best place to stay?
There is a very nice boutique hotel in central Tbilisi called British House (00995 322 98 87 83; british-house.ge) ,cheap jordans free shipping, which I highly recommend. It’s nicely decorated in the traditional Georgian style and is run by an expat Brit – very welcoming and hospitable.
Where would you meet friends for a drink?
You could try Café Kala (599 79 97 37; kala.ge/kalae.html), a popular bar in the Old Town that features live jazz on most nights. There is also a downtown area called Sharden, just a few streets over, which is dotted with trendy coffee houses and bars. Personally, I’m more of a coffee than alcohol person,cheap retro jordans, so I really need my daily coffee fix.
Where is the best place for lunch?
One of my favourite places to go for a bite is Kartuli Sakhli (322 93 50 57; info-tbilisi.com/kartulisakhli) , which simply means Georgian House. It serves all sorts of tasty traditional Georgian dishes, such as khinkali – dumplings the size of your hand with a minced filling. You bite into them, suck out the juices,cheap jordans online, and then eat the rest of the dumpling. They’re absolutely delicious.

And for dinner?
I’d go to Tsiskvili (322 53 07 97; info-tbilisi.com/tsiskvili) , where I celebrated my grandfather’s 80th birthday a couple of years ago. The décor is traditional, and they serve the most delicious Georgian food and often have live music.
Where would you send a first-time visitor,jordan shoes?
You have to visit some of the city’s churches, such as the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi (below) or the Anchiskhati Basilica of St Mary, which dates back to the sixth century. I love them, even though I’m not particularly religious. Try to catch a Georgian vocal group. The State Museum of Georgian Folk Songs and Musical Instruments (322 45 77 21; openmuseum.org) is also really cool if you’re into music. Lastly, you’ve got to take the cable car from Rike Park to Narikala Fortress (above), which offers wonderful views over the city.

What should I avoid?
Some of Tbilisi’s “hardcore” bathhouses might not be to everyone’s taste. My husband is a Yorkshire lad and quite open-minded,cheap real jordans, but when he saw the man planning to wash him at the bathhouse (which still has a Soviet-era kind of vibe), he walked out.
What should I bring home?
You’ve got to bring back some tkemali, traditional Georgian plum sauce. It’s lovely with chicken and kebabs. You could also buy a record by Hamlet Gonashvili, one of Georgia’s most popular folk singers.
Anywhere that isn’t your kind of town?
I’m not a huge fan of Las Vegas. It’s a fun place to go to play a bit of poker but it’s so man-made. And being quite environmentally conscious, I couldn’t believe the amount of neon lighting in the city. It’s definitely not a place I’d spend too much time in.
Katie Melua performs at the Union Chapel,cheap air jordans, London, this Sunday and tours until April 26. For more information, see katiemelua.com.
More 'My Kind of Town' articles
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Kian Egan’s Barbados
Natalie Pinkham’s Austin
Jonnie Irwin’s Mumbai
Rachel Khoo’s Marseille
Nigel Planer's Cochin
Roberto Cavalli's Dubai
Laurence Fox's New York
Kelly Hoppen’s Capri
Victoria Pendleton’s Paris
Gino D’Acampo’s Naples

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