Beijing’s carefully planned military parade briefly slipped out of script when a live microphone caught an unusually personal conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin about living to 150 years of age and even achieving human immortality. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, walking nearby, appeared to smile as the two leaders talked.
The exchange happened as the three leaders climbed Tiananmen Gate to watch a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The audio was carried on the official CCTV broadcast before social media users began circulating the clip, Bloomberg reported.
According to Reuters, Putin’s translator could be heard in Chinese on the CCTV feed saying: “Biotechnology is continuously developing. Human organs can be continuously transplanted. The longer you live, the younger you become, and (you can) even achieve immortality.”
Xi replied off camera in Mandarin: “Some predict that in this century humans may live to 150 years old.” Kim, just a few steps behind, looked on with a faint smile, although it was not clear if the conversation was interpreted for him.
Bloomberg reported that short pieces of the chat also picked up Xi talking about how lifespans have already stretched. A translator speaking in Russian joked: “Earlier, people rarely lived to 70, but these days at 70 years you are still a child.” The sound lasted less than a minute before CCTV switched to wide views of Tiananmen Square.
Within hours the clip went viral. For viewers, the sight of two of the world’s most powerful leaders musing about immortality was a rare, unscripted moment in an otherwise tightly choreographed event.
Both Xi and Putin are 72. Neither has named a clear successor, with Xi abolishing term limits and Putin changing Russian law to extend his own rule. Kim, who is 41, brought his daughter Ju Ae to Beijing, prompting fresh speculation about family succession in North Korea.
Later, speaking at a press conference, Putin confirmed the exchange. “We really discussed with China’s Xi that people would be able to live longer,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The hot-mic moment came just before Xi addressed more than 50,000 people gathered for the parade. “Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” he told the crowd.
The parade itself showcased China’s military reach. Xi, wearing a Mao-style tunic, rode past ranks of troops and weapons including hypersonic missiles and underwater drones. Fighter jets streaked overhead, helicopters flew vast banners and 80,000 birds symbolising peace were released. Sitting between Putin and Kim, Xi projected a united image at a time when all three countries face tense relations with the West.
During the visit, Putin and Xi signed more than 20 agreements covering energy and artificial intelligence. Kim’s presence signalled closer defence coordination between Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing.
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