Gao Hongbo
Yang made his debut for the Chinese national team on 10 August 2006 in a 4-0 win against Thailand, coming on as a substitute for Li Leilei. He would later make his competitive debut the following year on 28 October 2007 in a 1-0 win against Myanmar during 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. However, it was not until the introduction of then manager Gao Hongbo that saw Yang promoted to first-choice goalkeeper when he named him in his first game on 29 May 2009 in a 1-1 draw against Germany.