Organ Transplants, 150-Year Lifespans: What Hot Mic 'Caught' Xi Jinping, Putin Discussing
The conversation took place in Beijing, where Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping attended a military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had a conversation about organ transplants and how it could extend human lifespan to 150 years, as caught on a hot mic, according to news agency Reuters.
The conversation took place in Beijing, where the two world leaders walked with North Korea's Kim Jong Un while watching a military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
The conversation, undertaken via interpreters was relayed on a livestream provided by state broadcaster CCTV to other media, which included Chinese-state broadcaster CGTN, Associated Press and Reuters.
Meanwhile, China's radio and TV administration said that CCTV's coverage of the military parade was watched 1.9 billion times online and by more than 400 million on TV.
According to the report, Putin's translator was heard saying in Chinese, "Biotechnology is continuously developing." After a short spell of incoherence, the mic once again picked up the interpreter saying, "Human organs can be continuously transplanted. The longer you live, the younger you become, and (you can) even achieve immortality."
Jinping replied in Chinese, "Some predict that in this century humans may live to 150 years old." This response was heard off camera, as Jinping was not in the frame during the exchange.
Kim Jong Un was spotted smiling at the two but it is unknown if he understood the conversation. As of yet, it is uncertain if the conversation was translated for him.
The audio faded out as Jinping began speaking and the camera cut to a wide shot of Tiananmen Square.
After 30 seconds, all three leaders were spotted climbing the steps to the viewing platform for the parade.
The Chinese president reportedly examined troops and advanced military equipment, which included hypersonic missiles and naval drones.
Notably, Putin arrived in China on Sunday attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, where over 20 world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were in attendance.
Putin and Jinping inked over 20 agreements, which included those related to energy and AI. Russia and China would also be constructing a new major gas pipeline.
