Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin briefly veered into a conversation about longevity, organ transplants, and even the possibility of immortality, moments before Beijing’s grand military parade this week, according to remarks inadvertently picked up by state broadcaster microphones.
Footage aired by China Central Television (CCTV) showed Xi walking alongside Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on a red carpet at Tiananmen Square, in what analysts described as a symbolic show of unity among leaders often at odds with Washington.
“These days… 70 years old,” Xi said in Mandarin, before his translator relayed a line from a Tang dynasty poem to Putin: “In the past, it used to be rare for someone to be older than 70, and these days they say that at 70 one’s still a child.”
Putin, gesturing with his hands, replied in remarks translated back into Chinese: “With the development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted, people could get younger as they grow older, and may even become immortal.”
Xi responded: “Predictions are, in this century, it may be… possible to live to 150 years old,” before cameras cut away.
Putin later confirmed the exchange at a press briefing, telling reporters: “Modern means — both health improvement and surgical ones related to organ replacement — allow humanity to hope that active life will continue not as it does today.”
The remarks offered a rare glimpse into the personal musings of the two leaders, both 72, who have consolidated power in their respective countries. Xi has already scrapped presidential term limits, securing a third term in 2023, while Putin is expected to maintain his grip on the Kremlin well beyond his current mandate.
The conversation, though light-hearted, played out against a backdrop of geopolitical symbolism, as the three leaders — Xi, Putin, and Kim — walked together in what observers said was a pointed counterimage to U.S. President Donald Trump.
