Usually the chair person would setup a MeetMe conference. An conference access number and an access code would be provided to all attendants. The conference access number could be a North American 10 digits number or a toll free number, and the access code is a password to join the conference (Normally from 4 digits to 10 digits).
You would need call the access number from China. I guess the company is asking you cover the phone bill by yourself. It is very possible that they are not sure how much is going to cost. An easy way to de-risk.