UK to aid defenceless countries against cyber threat

British foreign minister Dominic Raab said Britain and its partners needed to take action to ensure there was cyberspace that was free, open and peaceful in the face of hostile states seeking to undermine democratic elections and turn the internet into a lawless space.

"We've got to win the hearts and minds across the world in a much broader space for our positive vision of cyberspace ... there for the benefit of the whole world," Raab said at an online security conference.

"Frankly, we've also got to prevent China, Russia and others from filling the multilateral vacuum. That means doing a lot more to support the poorest and most vulnerable countries who are most at risk."

Britain's top cyber detective also warned in April that the West needed to act urgently to ensure China does not dominate important emerging technologies and gain control of the "global operating system".

This hub would operate across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda to help fight cybercrime in the fast-growing economies, the foreign office said.