A bizarre hot-mic moment between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping has surfaced, revealing the two leaders speculating about biotechnology, human organ transplants, and even the possibility of immortality.
The exchange was captured on Wednesday during a military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Putin and Xi were walking alongside North Korea’s Kim Jong Un when their conversation was picked up by microphones broadcasting the event on Chinese state media.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping caught in bizarre candid exchange
“Biotechnology is continuously developing,” Putin’s translator was heard saying. “Human organs can be continuously transplanted. The longer you live, the younger you become, and [you can] even achieve immortality.”
Xi’s translator then added: “Some predict that in this century humans may live to 150 years old. Earlier, people rarely lived to 70, but these days at 70 years you are still a child.”
Both Putin and Xi are currently 72 years old.
While it was unclear whether the exchange was being translated for him, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared amused by the conversation. Cameras showed him smiling and looking in the direction of Putin and Xi as they continued their musings.
The audio, which lasted less than a minute, cut in and out throughout the livestream. Still, the content of the conversation quickly spread online, raising questions about the symbolic weight of such remarks from two of the world’s most powerful authoritarian leaders.
The light-hearted yet unsettling chat occurred just before Xi addressed a crowd of more than 50,000 people. In his speech, the Chinese president warned that the world faced a stark choice between “peace or war,” per the New York Post.
The address took place as he inspected Chinese troops and cutting-edge military equipment, including hypersonic missiles, naval drones, and other advanced technology.
Analysts have noted that such offhand remarks can hold symbolic meaning, especially when voiced publicly; even unintentionally. Conversations about biotechnology and human longevity by Putin and Xi may reflect their governments’ growing interest in science and technology as tools not only for national progress but also for political strength.
With both leaders in their seventies, the notion of extending human life to 150 years struck many observers as a revealing glimpse into their personal anxieties and ambitions.
The hot-mic moment has since been replayed across social media, where it has been described as both surreal and unsettling. For many viewers, it offered a rare glimpse into the private musings of two leaders who typically project only carefully scripted messages to the world.