The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed anger and said the balloon was "an unmanned civilian airship" launched to collect weather data and blew off course accidentally.

On the Sky News Daily, host Niall Paterson explores why there was an escalation over the balloon with our Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith.

Plus, Charley Cooper, a former US government military advisor discusses the renewed tensions between the US and China over the incident, and if there's a concern retaliation could follow in the future.

Podcast Producers: Emma Rae Woodhouse and Soila Apparicio
Interviews Producer: Alex Edden