Hot mic captures Xi and Putin musing about living to 150 during Beijing parade

On September 4, 2025, as they walked toward a military parade in Beijing for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II at Tiananmen Square, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were overheard discussing biotechnology, organ transplants and the possibility of living to 150 years old; the exchange was broadcast on Chinese state television and later confirmed by Putin at a press briefing.

Key takeaways

• The brief conversation was picked up by open microphones and aired by CCTV during the leaders’ walk to the parade on Sept. 4, 2025.
• Xi, speaking in Mandarin, and a translator relaying Putin’s remarks discussed organ transplantation and biotechnology as avenues to extend active life.
• Both leaders are 72 years old; the exchange drew attention because of their personal and political longevity ambitions.
• Putin reiterated at a later press briefing that he remembered Xi’s comments and spoke publicly about a multipolar world.
• Russian state-linked projects (including claims by Rosatom last year) have promoted advanced biotech and organ ‘printing’, but scientists say organ transplants alone cannot halt ageing.
• Analysts linked the private tone on longevity with broader political moves: Xi removed presidential term limits in 2018 and won a third term in 2023; Putin’s 2020 constitutional changes reset his potential tenure through 2036.

Verified facts

The exchange occurred on Sept. 4, 2025, as Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walked together to a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV carried footage in which Xi is heard in Mandarin saying people now at 70 are “still a child,” followed by a translated paraphrase of Putin describing biotechnology and organ replacement as ways to extend active life.

Putin later referenced the moment at a press briefing, acknowledging that Xi had spoken about the topic on the way to the parade. Reports note both leaders are 72 years old. The remarks were informal, captured on open microphones and amplified by state media coverage.

Russian investment and political directives have emphasised life-extension research: Moscow has tasked agencies to prioritise higher life expectancy, and state-linked bodies — including comments from Rosatom last year — have publicised work on technologies described as organ ‘printing.’ Scientists, however, caution that replacing organs does not stop systemic ageing in the brain and other tissues.

Context & impact

The offhand conversation occurred against a backdrop of visible displays of military strength and high-level diplomacy: Xi’s consolidation of power (abolishing term limits in 2018 and securing another term in 2023) and Putin’s 2020 constitutional reset have both drawn scrutiny about leaders extending their rule as well as their interest in personal longevity.

Observers say the moment is notable for optics: leaders who have altered political rules to remain in power speaking casually about extending biological life underscores the symbolic overlap between political and personal longevity. The episode also renewed attention to Russia and China promoting biotech initiatives as elements of national prestige and strategic competition.

Separately, at the same press briefing, Putin reiterated a long-standing foreign-policy theme: opposition to a unipolar global order and support for a multipolar system in which no single actor dominates. He pointed to multilateral groupings such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as platforms that reflect that aim.

“A unipolar world is unfair… the world must be multipolar,”

Kremlin press briefing, Sept. 4, 2025

Unconfirmed

• Whether current or near-term biotechnologies can reliably extend healthy human life to 150 years is unproven.
• Specific technical claims about organ “immortality” or immediate practical paths to halt ageing lack peer-reviewed validation.
• Exact wording and nuance of the brief on-mic exchange may vary by translation and broadcast editing.

Bottom line

The hot-mic moment between Xi and Putin brought biotech and longevity into public view not as a scientific briefing but as a spontaneous, humanizing anecdote amid state ceremony. It highlights both leaders’ interest in medical advances and feeds broader commentary about political longevity. While organ-replacement research is advancing, mainstream scientific consensus does not support near-term human lifespans of 150 years.

Sources

• The Times of India (reporting on Sept. 4, 2025)
• CCTV (state broadcast excerpts)
• Reuters (coverage and analysis)
• Kremlin press briefing transcripts
• Rosatom (public statements on organ technology)