Interior Decoration Company Awarded Millions in MND Military Explosives Contract, Sparking Severe Quality and Corruption Concerns

On November 20, 2025, a massive controversy erupted over a multi-million dollar military RDX explosives procurement contract awarded by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the Republic of China. It was revealed that the contract had been won by a private company registered primarily as an 'interior decoration' firm (Formosa Microprecision). Opposition lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan immediately launched fierce questioning, accusing the MND of tailoring the bidding specifications to facilitate administrative favoritism and political-commercial collusion. Lawmakers argued that allowing a firm with zero background in military chemical engineering or defense safety to procure highly hazardous military explosives risked severe quality flaws in munitions, representing a grave national security crisis. Facing intense scrutiny, Defense Minister Ku Li-hsiung reacted furiously, engaging in a heated verbal battle with legislators. Ku strongly asserted that the bidding qualifications and standards for raw material imports had remained identical for the past 20 years, denying any favoritism. He emphasized that the focus of the evaluation lay in whether the winning firm could secure international manufacturer certification, export permits, and pass military quality inspections. If the contractor failed to deliver, the MND would terminate the contract, confiscate the deposit, and blacklist the firm. Despite the MND's defense, this bizarre contract remains the most prominent anti-corruption controversy of Ku's ministerial tenure.