French government defends Poste agreement with China’s Temu

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PARIS (Reuters) -France’s commerce minister on Friday defended a recent deal between the state-owned postal service and Chinese ecommerce site Temu, agreed just weeks before the Paris prosecutor launched an investigation into several online marketplaces.

France also threatened to ban Shein’s online marketplace on Wednesday after finding child-like sex dolls and banned weapons for sale on its platform, with ministers due to report their preliminary findings later on Friday on whether the company complied with local laws.

Speaking on BFM TV, Serge Papin said France must act to curb a “digital Wild West”, with customs frequently detecting illegal goods arriving in small parcels at its borders.

However, asked to explain an October agreement by the state-owned La Poste with Temu, an online marketplace owned by Chinese ecommerce giant PDD Holdings (PDD.O), Papin said the company had to “do its job”. 

Under the agreement, La Poste provides last-mile delivery of parcels to Temu customers. The deal has faced criticism from lawmakers in recent weeks who say the government is supporting a company that is destroying French industry and exacerbating environmental problems. 

Neither Temu nor La Poste immediately responded to a request for comment.

In a statement published on Wednesday, La Poste said the deal was a “classic” logistics services agreement that extended collaboration already in place since Temu arrived in France in 2023.

“La Poste is required to treat all its customers equally, with the same terms and conditions of sale. As such, the company cannot refuse access to its services,” it said.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Dominique Patton. Editing by Mark Potter)