NEW DELHI: In an unusual exchange caught on live microphones, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about biotechnology, organ transplants, and the possibility of living for 150 years as they walked together to a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday.
Also Read | 'Not optics, direct challenge': EU diplomat on Xi-Putin-Kim meet in China; effort to build 'new world order'The remarks, made just before the 80th anniversary celebrations of the end of World War II at Tiananmen Square, were broadcast by Chinese state television and later confirmed by Putin in a press briefing. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accompanied the two leaders during the walk.
“People rarely lived to be over 70, but these days, at 70, you are still a child,” Xi said in Mandarin, according to a translation picked up on state broadcaster CCTV.
A translator then relayed Putin’s words: “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 added, “Predictions are, in this century, it may be... possible to live to 150 years old.”
Later in the day, Putin confirmed the exchange while speaking to reporters. “Ah, I think it was when we were going to the parade that the Chairman spoke about this,” he said, referring to Xi. “Modern means, both health improvement and medical means, and then even all kinds of surgical ones related to organ replacement, allow humanity to hope that active life will continue not as it does today.”
Putin has long been associated with an interest in longevity. He has directed his government to prioritise increasing life expectancy and has promoted Russian research in biotechnology, including Rosatom’s announcement last year about developing technology to “print” human organs.
Experts caution, however, that organ transplants alone cannot prevent ageing, as the human brain and other systems continue to deteriorate with time. Nevertheless, the hot mic moment highlighted the personal interest of both Xi and Putin—both aged 72—in advances that might extend human lifespans.
The discussion also drew attention to the leaders’ political trajectories. Unlike his predecessors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, Xi abolished presidential term limits in 2018 and secured a third term in 2023. Putin, for his part, oversaw a constitutional change in 2020 that allows him to remain in power until 2036.
As Xi walked between Putin and Kim on the red carpet, the informal talk about immortality contrasted with the show of military power on display at Tiananmen Square. Analysts noted that the conversation reflected not just curiosity about medical advances but also the geopolitical undertones of two leaders determined to extend their dominance both politically and personally.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin on advocated for the end of a "unipolar world", emphasising a multipolar global order where all nations are equal without any "hegemons" dominating politics or security.
During a press briefing following his four-day visit to China, Putin highlighted the need for equitable international relations, positioning organisations like BRICS and SCO as platforms for this vision.
"A unipolar world is unfair. It's obvious. And we are developing our relations not based on the opinion of the majority... We are developing our relations and our cooperation based on the idea. And the idea is that the world must be multipolar, which means that all the actors of international communication and international relations must be equal, and there must be no one more equal than the others. And a unipolar world must cease to exist," Putin stated.
"As for whether the multipolar world has been established or not, well, its outlines are there, by and large. But I wouldn't really speak about any demeaning pulse. It doesn't mean that this new multipolar world should have any hegemons, because no one is speaking about this, not in BRICS, not in the SCO," he added.