NEW HAVEN, the United States, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Highlighting such values as social harmony and peaceful development, visiting President Hu Jintao expounded on Chinese civilization in a speech Friday at Yale University.

Hu's visit to Yale, during his state visit to the United States, was at the invitation of the university's president Richard Levin.

"The Chinese civilization has always given prominence to social harmony, unity and mutual assistance," Hu said during the speech.

The Chinese people takes the maintenance of ethnic unity and harmony as their bounden duty and the defense of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity as a sacred mission, Hu said, warning that "any act that undermines China's ethnic harmony and national unity will meet their strong opposition and resistance."

The love for peace and good neighborliness, according to the president, are also traditional values of the Chinese civilization.

"China holds high the banner of peace, development and cooperation. It pursues an independent foreign policy of peace and commits itself firmly to peaceful development," said Hu.

He said China seeks to accelerate its development by upholding world peace.

Explaining traditions of the civilization, President Hu also mentioned such values as putting people first and seeking self-improvement.

"We are pursuing today a people-oriented approach toward development," Hu said, adding that the Chinese nation has grown after surviving numerous setbacks and adversity thanks to the spirits of self-improvement, reform and innovation.

The United States is the first leg of Hu's current five-nation tour, which will also take him to Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya.