Hillary Clinton: 'Progress has been made' on controversy

The Chinese government said on Friday that dissident Chen Guangcheng can apply for study abroad just like any other Chinese citizen, according to The New York Times. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. was encouraged by China's statement, according to Reuters.

The development comes as high-level talks between the U.S. and China were threatened by the days-long diplomatic dispute between the two countries over Chen's status.

Clinton told reporters in Beijing that "progress has been made" on the matter, adding "We have been very clear and committed to honoring his choices and our values."

A two-sentence statement posted on China’s Foreign Ministry website on Friday read that Chen, “can apply through normal channels to the relevant departments in accordance with the law, just like any other Chinese citizen.”

The news comes after Chen conveyed through a friend a message that he did not want to seek political asylum in the U.S, but that he had been invited to attend New York University and that he wanted to “rest for several months.”

Chen, who is blind, escaped house arrest last month and sought sanctuary at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. He left the embassy on Wednesday to seek medical treatment, but once out of the U.S. custody seemed to have a change of heart about whether he wanted to stay in China with his family.

Clinton added: “This is not just about well-known activists, it is about the human rights and aspirations of more than a billion people in China and billions more around the world.”