 Zheng captained the under-23 national team that competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics.Under Gao Hongbo's management, Zheng was appointed captain of the national team.In an interview on 3 August 2016, Zheng said, "This is the last time I will be in the final stage of FIFA World Cup qualification," indicating that after the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he would retire from the national team.