Yao Xia would make his international debut against Mexico in a 3-0 loss in a friendly game on the third of November 1993.[11] Once Yao Xia became a regular at Sichuan he would also quickly establish himself as a regular for the national team as well and play a major part in China's unsuccessful 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. He would have more success when he was able to help China qualify for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, however while playing a major part in qualification he was left out of the squad to actually go to the tournament. He would play his last game against Yugoslavia on March 25, 2000 in a 1-0 friendly loss.[12]