U.S. defended Amazon after article showed company bypassed Indian law

FILE PHOTO: A worker sorts delivery packages in a van outside an Amazon facility in Ahmedabad, India, March 17, 2021. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. officials rushed to defend Amazon's business practices in India after Reuters reported in February that the company had favored certain sellers on its website and bypassed local law that requires foreign e-commerce companies to treat all vendors equally, documents obtained by the news agency show.

Emails obtained through the U.S. Freedom of Information Act from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) showed that U.S. officials prepared a note for John Kerry, a top envoy of President Joe Biden, about the Feb. 17 Reuters report. The note, contained in an email dated Feb. 18, said that India's antitrust watchdog had reviewed many such allegations against U.S. e-commerce companies and found nothing wrong.