He served on the Taoyuan County Council prior to his 1998 election to the Legislative Yuan. He joined the People First Party in 2000, and served as legislative caucus leader.[3][4] Chiu represented the PFP in the 2001 Taoyuan County magisterial election amid concerns about splitting the vote between supporters of the Pan-Blue Coalition.[5] In February 2002, Chiu left the People First Party to become an independent politician.[6][7] Later that year, he joined a caucus specifically convened for independents.[8][9] In June 2004, Chiu co-founded the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union.[10][11] In October 2007, Chiu accepted a legislative nomination from the Democratic Progressive Party, subsequently losing the January 2008 election to Sun Ta-chien.[12][13] Weeks after the election, Chiu and many other politicians were indicted on charges of bribery dating back to 2003. Prosecutors alleged that Chiu accepted NT$1 million from the Taiwan Dental Association.[14] Upon final appeal to the Taiwan High Court, Chiu was acquitted of all charges.[15] He was invited to the 2010 Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum, by which time he had joined the People United Party.[16][17]
