Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were overheard discussing organ transplants and even the possibility of immortality during an unguarded conversation on the sidelines of a military parade in Beijing.
The exchange was captured on a livestream as Xi and Putin, joined by North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, walked together through Tiananmen Square during China’s Victory Day spectacle marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
Xi’s translator was heard saying in Russian: “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.”
An inaudible comment from Putin followed, before his Mandarin translator added: “With the development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted, and people can live younger and younger, and even achieve immortality.”
Xi’s translator then remarked:“Predictions are, this century, there’s a chance of also living to 150 years old.”
Later, Putin repeated the theme in public remarks to Russian media. State news agency Tass quoted him as saying: “Modern recovery methods, medical methods, even surgical ones dealing with the replacement of organs, enable humanity to hope for active life to last longer than it does today. Average age is different in different countries but life expectancy will increase significantly.”
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Russian and North Korean leaders, Xi used the parade to project an alternate vision of world order, while their private conversation hinted at ambitions stretching beyond politics and economics.
Xi told the assembled crowd: “The world faces a choice between peace and war,” as China unveiled a vast arsenal, including nuclear missiles with global reach.
The event marked the first time that Xi, Putin and Kim had appeared together in public, in what some analysts saw as a pointed message to Western nations that have shunned them. Putin and Kim were joined by 24 other foreign dignitaries, including Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Vietnam’s Luong Cuong and Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The spectacle also underscored China’s attempt to position itself as a counterweight to the United States since the era of Donald Trump’s tariffs. On Wednesday, Trump accused Xi of conspiring with Russia and North Korea against Washington. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America.”
Boluwatife Enome
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