U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai affirmed the need for updating U.S. trade laws to reinforce existing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties, coping with China’s steel-making overcapacity and export through subsidized investment in southeast Asia. “The tools that we have, we know how they can be effective and we know where the limitations are,” Tai told U.S. steel industry executives in Washington on Tuesday, adding that she wanted to create a new level playing field. Asked whether such tools could be used to deal with China’s subsidization of plants in other countries to facilitate the purchase of Chinese products through its Belt and Road Initiative, which is not currently subject to punitive U.S. tariffs, Tai replied: “Yes.” “We need to be prepared to deploy all tools and explore the development of new ones, including through collaboration with other economies and countries.” The remarks came two days after the United States and European …