Li was called up to the Chinese under-23 national team to take part in the 2010 Asian Games where he would play in three games and score one goal in a tournament in which China were knocked out in the last sixteen. Several months later after an impressive league season where Li established himself and won promotion with Chengdu Blades, he would soon be called up to the Chinese national team preliminary squad in preparation for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. Despite having no previous senior international experience and having played for a second tier side, Li was unexpectedly included into the squad after teammate Feng Xiaoting was injured and would go on to make his unofficial international debut against Iraq on 2 January 2011 which China won 3-2.