In 2011 he was recalled to Beijing to serve as Deputy Chief of the General Staff, the youngest officer of Military Region-level at the time.

In 2012, Cai made a visit to the United States, including a stop at the U.S. military base at Fort Hood, Texas, and at Pearl Harbor.

The visit led to speculation that he was due for further promotion, perhaps to the position of executive deputy chief of general staff.

He attained the rank of general (shang jiang) in July 2013[3][4] and was a full member of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

Several of his former deputies in the Nanjing MR, including Gen. Song Puxuan, Gen. Wang Jiaocheng, and Lt. Gen. Qin Weijiang, were promoted to higher positions.