Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane is calling on political leaders to conduct the debate on foreign interference “without flaming any prejudice” against Chinese Australians.

In a speech to be delivered on Thursday, Mr Soutphommasane will warn that "many, many" Chinese Australians have serious concerns about prejudice being stoked in the foreign interference debate. He singles out prominent author Clive Hamilton as flirting with “fears about yellow hordes”.

Separately to Fairfax Media on Wednesday, Mr Soutphommasane said politicians needed to avoid inflammatory language on the issue.

“Our political leaders must strike a judicious balance in protecting our national interest, without inflaming any prejudice,” he said. “It’s tricky work, but it can be done. It’s best done through avoiding excited rhetoric, or anything that blurs the line between politics and race.”

The Turnbull government introduced draft laws late last year to tackle what it has called an unprecedented threat of foreign interference and influence in Australian politics. While it did not name countries, security agencies are known to be most concerned about the activities of China.