(Excerpts from Remaining of One Heart with the People by Tongxin, Qiushi Journal, No. 04, 2021)
人民情怀：我将无我，不负人民
Compassion for the people: working with selfless devotion so as not to let the people down
2019年3月22日下午，意大利众议院，习*平近**总书记同众议长菲科举行会见。菲科问道：“您当选中国国家主席的时候，是一种什么样的心情？”总书记沉静而充满力量地说：“这么大一个国家，责任非常重、工作非常艰巨。我将无我，不负人民。我愿意做到一个‘无我’的状态,为中国的发展奉献自己。”
On the afternoon of March 22, 2019, Xi Jinping met with Roberto Fico, president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. During the meeting, Fico asked, “How did you feel when you were elected as China’s president?” Xi replied, “Taking charge of such a large country is a heavy responsibility and a formidable task. I must work with selfless devotion so as not to let the people down. I am prepared to put my own needs aside and devote myself to China’s development.”
一个人也好，一个政*党**也好，最难得的是历经沧桑而初心不改、饱经风霜而本色依旧。40多年来，从一个生产大队的*党**支部书记，历经村、县、地、市、省直至中央等多层级领导岗位，到一个泱泱大国的最高领导人，习*平近**总书记心里始终装着人民、时刻想着人民、奋斗为了人民，始终做一名“人民的勤务员”。
The hardest thing for people, let alone political parties, to achieve is remaining true to their original aspirations and staying the same at essence despite hardships and vicissitudes. Over 40 years, Xi Jinping has risen from the ranks of Party branch secretary of a production team through leadership positions at the village, county, prefectural, municipal, provincial, and central levels, ultimately becoming the paramount leader of this great country. Throughout this process, he has always kept the people close to his heart, thought of them constantly, fought for them, and remained their faithful servant.
“我的执政理念，概括起来说就是：为人民服务，担当起该担当的责任。”2014年2月7日，习*平近**总书记在俄罗斯索契接受俄罗斯电视台专访时这样回答主持人的提问。
During an interview with a Russian TV station in Sochi, Russia on February 7, 2014, Xi Jinping said, “My philosophy on governance can be summed up as follows: serving the people, and assuming the responsibilities that I ought to shoulder.”
始终将人民放在心中最高位置，不仅是习*平近**总书记念兹在兹的真挚情怀，也是对全*党**特别是各级领导干部的殷切希望和明确要求。他多次强调：“我们*党**的各级干部是人民的公仆、人民的勤务员”，“领导干部手中的权力是人民赋予的，只能用来为人民谋利益”。他这样嘱托中青年干部：“*产党共**的干部要坚持当‘老百姓的官’，把自己也当成老百姓，不要做官当老爷”。其言谆谆，其情殷殷。
Always making the people the greatest concern is not just the sincere sentiment that is always on Xi Jinping’s mind, but also an ardent expectation and clear requirement for the Party as a whole, and particularly for officials in leadership positions at all levels. Xi has stressed on multiple occasions that “Party officials at all levels are the people’s faithful servants,” and that, “The power in the hands of leading officials is endowed by the people, and may only be used in their interest.” To younger officials, he has offered the following advice: “Party officials must serve on behalf of ordinary people and consider themselves to be ordinary people rather than letting their authority turn them into overlords.”
来源：《求是》英文版