Chao served three terms as a Member of Taoyuan County Council as a member of
Kuomintang. He lost his primary in 2014 and subsequently became an
independent. He ran for a seat in Ward 3, a five-member ward, for
Taoyuan City Council and was elected with most votes. He ran for a seat in the
Legislative Yuan as an independent for
Taoyuan 6 in the 2016 election with the endorsement of the
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Though Chao is an independent, he caucuses with the DPP. As a legislator, Chao has been involved in discussions about the
Ministry of Transportation and Communications, general oversight of public transportation, and the
National Communications Commission. In the
2024 legislative election he lost his seat to Chiu Jo-Hua from the Kuomintang. ==Legal judgements==