Defense chief defends awarding explosive import bid to furniture company

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Thursday defended his ministry's decision to award a contract to import military-grade explosives to a company better known for selling furniture, after a lawmaker questioned the public procurement process.

A day earlier, opposition Kuomintang Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said Tainan-based Home-Max Furniture Trading Ltd. won a Dec. 2 tender to import a batch of RDX for under NT$590 million (US$18.8 million).

Wang questioned whether a relatively small furniture trading company should have been eligible to bid for a contract involving explosive materials, let alone secure it.

RDX, also known as hexogen, is a powerful explosive with strong detonation characteristics and is widely used in military applications, including in C-4.

Asked to comment, Koo said no companies in Taiwan are capable of producing RDX, which is why the ministry must rely on imports. Any qualified international trading company can submit a bid, he said.

In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Home-Max was the sole bidder. Although registered as a furniture trading company, it also engages in international trade and the wholesale of chemical materials, the MND said on Wednesday.

To ensure the company can fulfill the contract, the ministry said it has asked Home-Max to present an export permit for the explosives and documentation identifying the original manufacturer by a set deadline. The MND added that it will inspect the RDX shipment upon arrival to verify its origin and ensure it meets required standards.