Several sources are reporting that the Chinese government has decided to continue to disallow VoIP calls from computers to phones for at least the next two years. The Financial Times article on the issue states:

China will not allow paid-for calls between computers and conventional telephones for at least two years, according to the head of Tom Online, the Chinese internet portal which has a joint venture with Skype, the internet telephony company.

Cynthia Brumfield on IP Democracy suggests that the Chinese government’s reluctance to allow Skype to connect to the Chinese PSTN reflects the government’s concern over the damage that could be caused to the government-owned voice service providers if they become subjected to more inexpensive and efficient voice competition.