Cui first attended the SLD in 2005. The question he raised to then US secretary of defense that year remains widely remembered even decades later. 21 years on, if given the opportunity, he said he is prepared to ask three separate questions to the US, Japan, and Europe. These three major concerns directly address China-US relations, the direction of Japan’s development, and the question of who holds dominance over Asia-Pacific security – issues that are also currently the focus of broad international attention.
This year, when asked by GT reporters what question he would raise to the US secretary of defense if given the chance, Cui replied directly: “If the moderator gives me the opportunity, I would ask: Regarding the consensus reached by the Chinese and US heads of state in Beijing on building a ‘constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability, ’ what specific measures does the US prepare to take to promote its implementation?”