On 28 February 2017, Cao transferred to fellow Super League side Jiangsu Suning after Hangzhou was relegated to the second tier.[5] On 2 April 2017, he made his debut for the club in a 3–1 away defeat against Liaoning FC, coming on for Yang Xiaotian in the 87th minute.[6] He would struggle to become a regular within the team and go on loan to second-tier football club Kunshan for the 2020 China League One campaign.[7] The following season he would transfer to another China League One club in Nanjing City on 15 April 2021.[8]