To be perfectly clear, it's a reflection of possible differences in our opinions towards where 688i stands in worldwide standards for nuclear submarines in his mind. I have seen some rather generous interpretation of what constitutes "international leading level" within the Chinese defense circle, although I'm not insisting that's necessarily what He Lin thinks (we simply don't know).
So until more evidence surfaces, that's how I interpret his statements.
Wait, I'm confused, in He Lin's original statement did he mention 688i or any other submarine in any form?
Or putting it another way, is there a reason why we would expect He Lin to believe that 688i's noise level is at the "international leading level" either for today, or for the world of 2025?