PARIS, Nov 7 (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 ) , 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.