The head of Australian intelligence said on Wednesday that a worrying new strategic rapprochement between Beijing and Moscow had developed, and that the risk of conflict between major powers had increased since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Director-General of the Office of National Intelligence Andrew Shearer said that Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning - apparently - to dominate the Indo-Pacific region and use it as a base to replace his country with the United States as the world's leading superpower.

"We will have to work even harder to maintain the liberal character of the rules-based order in Europe and here in the Indo-Pacific," Shearer said - at a conference hosted by the Australian Financial Review.

According to Shearer, the Chinese president is working to enhance his country's capabilities in order to overtake the United States to become the world's leading superpower.

Shearer said the geopolitical risk would be centered on technology, including the use of cyber attacks, "so Australia should strengthen its cyber defenses without isolating itself from trade and information exchange."

He added that his country needs an open economy to be able to finance the boosting of defense spending pledged by the government, explaining that the economy and security should not come at the expense of the other.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow described as a special military operation, Australian intelligence officials have seen that "a conflict between the major powers has, unfortunately, become a closer possibility than before."

The Kremlin announced that the goal of the "special operation" is to disarm Ukraine and isolate leaders it calls neo-Nazis, while Ukraine and the West say this is a baseless excuse to invade Ukraine, amid fears of a wider conflict in Europe.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters on Wednesday that he was not aware of Shearer's comments.

But he added that Shearer should pay more attention to "ignorance of Australia's non-proliferation commitment" as a result of the tripartite Okos agreement that would supply Australia with nuclear submarines.

Under the tripartite security agreement concluded last year, Australia will build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines using US and British technology.

"This is a real concern for our region," the spokesman added.