The Coalition described Mr Keating's comments as "appalling", "incredibly reckless" and "completely outrageous", and called for Mr Shorten to "disown" him.

"For what the Labor Party calls a Labor legend to go out there and attack the credibility of our security agencies that have been saving lives in this country, I think is disappointing," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said

."I think that he should be disowned and I think the leader of the Labor Party, Bill Shorten, should be ... denouncing what Paul Keating had to say."

Mr Shorten said he did not share Mr Keating's views.

"Paul Keating is an elder statesman of Australian politics, he's never been shy of saying what he thinks," Mr Shorten said.

"We've worked very well with the national security agencies - they know that and we know that - and of course we will continue that."

The former Labor leader's comments were also condemned by Peter Jennings, the head of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, who is an outspoken critic of Beijing's foreign interference activities.

"Well I think Paul Keating is having his Donald Trump moment," Mr Jennings told AM.

"Frankly, that's not something a former prime minister should do and I think what he said was blatantly incorrect.

"The Australian intelligence community, more than most parts of government, has a very clear understanding of what China is doing."

Albanese says Keating's comments reflect broader concerns

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said Mr Keating had a right to raise his concerns, and added that they reflect broader concerns about attitudes towards China.

"I think what Paul Keating was talking about was certainly a concern that has been there, certainly I've had that concern as well," he said.

"We need to be very careful that it is not in Australia's economic interests, essentially, to be xenophobic when it comes to China and the role of China in the region.

"We need to examine legitimate security concerns, which are there, but we also need to acknowledge that China has been a nation [with] which we have a friendly relationship and have had one since the Whitlam government recognised China in 1972."

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The phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump was very important as Russia and US must maintain dialogue, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet president and one of the signatories of the INF treaty, has said.

The two leaders talked on the phone of Friday, discussing nuclear non-proliferation, North Korea, Venezuela, Ukraine and bilateral trade among other things.

"This isn't yet how relations between such powers as Russia and the US must be shaped like. But it's important. It's dialogue," Gorbachev told RIA Novosti, as Moscow and Washington are going through the roughest period in their relations since the fall of the USSR. [...]

Gorbachev markedly pointed out that the phone conversation had been initiated by the US.

"What's also important is the public statement made by Trump that relations between our countries have great potential. This is certainly the case."