In an unexpected moment during a high-profile military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, a hot mic captured an exchange between Chinese President, Xi Jinping, and Russian President, Vladimir Putin, about advances in biotechnology, organ transplants and even the possibility of human immortality.
The event, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, brought together 27 world leaders, including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, for their first joint public appearance. State-run broadcaster CCTV was livestreaming the celebration and sharing its feed with other media outlets when the conversation was inadvertently recorded.
According to the Mandarin translation captured on the feed, Putin remarked that scientific advances could soon allow humans to “transplant organs continuously, grow younger with age, and perhaps even achieve immortality.”
When asked about the exchange later in the day, Putin confirmed the conversation took place as he and Xi were heading to the parade. “Modern means – health improvements, medical technologies, and even surgical procedures related to organ replacement, allow humanity to hope that active life can continue far longer than it does today,” he told reporters.
The comments come as China grapples with a chronic shortage of donated organs, driven partly by long-standing cultural taboos around organ donation.
In 2023, Beijing introduced stricter regulations and stepped up public awareness campaigns to address the shortfall and tighten oversight of transplant procedures.
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