Australia's spy chief said hackers working for China's government and military had probed the country's telecoms network and key infrastructure, warning against the risk of economic disruption from sabotage.

China dismissed the remarks as a "false narrative", however.

Mike Burgess, the director general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, said espionage was estimated to have cost the country $12.5 billion last year.

That included the loss of $2 billion in trade secrets and intellectual property, he told a business conference in Melbourne.

Burgess highlighted the threat of cyber sabotage, describing the activities of the Chinese hacking groups Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon, which he described as "hackers working for Chinese government intelligence and their

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