He graduated from National Taiwan University and worked as a journalist before beginning a career in politics with a 1973 appointment to the Taipei City Council.

Upon completing his compulsory military service in the armed forces, Wu worked as a journalist for the China Times before entering starting his political career.

After serving the Taipei City Council, Wu made a successful campaign for the magistracy of Nantou County.

And in Chongqing, they attended the Taiwan Week celebration organized by Taiwanese businessmen doing business in mainland China.

[4] Wu was designated to succeed Liu Chao-shiuan as Premier of the Republic of China on 8 September 2009 by President Ma Ying-jeou.

Liu and his Cabinet resigned en masse on 10 September to take responsibility for damage caused by Typhoon Morakot, with Wu succeeding the post the same day.

[3] Wu spent his first night as Premier in Kaohsiung where he visited the Typhoon Morakot survivors at their temporary shelters in the Republic of China Military Academy in Fengshan District.

[3] On 19 June 2011, Ma Ying-jeou announced that he and Wu would form the Kuomintang ticket for the 2012 presidential election, as incumbent Vice President Vincent Siew chose not to stand for reelection.

[7] On 1–2 April 2012,[8] ROC Vice President-elect Wu, in his capacity as the top advisor of the Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation, attended the 2012 Boao Forum for Asia in Haikou, Hainan.

[9] In the forum, Wu met with PRC Vice Premier Li Keqiang in which both of them agreed to address various of cross-strait issues.

[14] Wu won the election on 20 May, and received a congratulatory letter from Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping.

[15] Following Han Kuo-yu's loss in the 2020 Taiwanese presidential election, Wu resigned from the Kuomintang chairmanship on 15 January 2020.