In an intriguing moment during the military parade held to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II last Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were caught on a hot mic discussing the tantalizing prospect of human longevity and even immortality. 
The exchange, caught on live broadcast by Chinese state media CCTV, occurred as the two leaders walked alongside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toward the Tiananmen Square rostrum, offering a rare glimpse into the private thoughts of aging autocrats.
 The conversation began with Xi, 72, reflecting on the evolution of life expectancy. His interpreter relayed to Putin, “People rarely lived to be over 70, but these days, at 70, you are still a child.” 
Putin, also 72, responded through his interpreter, suggesting that advancements in biotechnology could push the boundaries of human life far beyond current limits. “With the development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted, and people can live younger and younger, and even achieve immortality,” the interpreter conveyed in Mandarin. 
Xi, off-camera at the time, responded, “Some predict that in this century, humans may live up to 150 years old.”
The remarks, though brief, sparked interest globally, amplified by the presence of Kim Jong Un, who was seen smiling but whose involvement in the conversation remains unclear. 
The parade, attended by leaders from over 20 countries, was a grand display of China’s military might, but this candid moment stole the spotlight. 
Chinese soldiers march during the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, 2025, in Beijing. (Getty Photo/Kevin Frayer)
Putin later confirmed the exchange to Russian media, stating, “Modern means, both health improvement and medical means, and even surgical ones related to organ replacement, allow humanity to hope that active life will continue not as it does today.” He also alluded to United Nations projections that by 2050, the global population over 60 will significantly outnumber children under five, hinting at the broader impact of extended life.
The discussion carries weight given both leaders’ apparent intentions to remain in power indefinitely. Xi, who abolished presidential term limits in 2018, secured a third term in 2023, while Putin, in power since 2000, amended Russia’s constitution in 2020 to potentially extend his rule until 2036. 
Putin’s interest in longevity is well-documented, with Russia establishing an anti-aging research center, “New Health Preservation Technologies,” in 2024. Reports also suggest his confidant, Mikhail Kovalchuk, and daughter, Maria Vorontsova, are heavily invested in organ-printing and genetic research aimed at extending life. 
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L), walking with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin on September 1. (Getty Photo/Vladimir Smirnov)
Xi, by contrast, has not publicly emphasized such pursuits, though Chinese leaders like Deng Xiaoping (died aged 92) and Jiang Zemin (died aged 96) have historically enjoyed long lives. Organ transplants remain a sensitive topic in China, where rights groups claim organs are still harvested from executed prisoners, despite official pledges to end the practice in 2014.
The hot mic moment in Beijing is not bizzare, it serves as a poignant reminder of global inequities. 
While Xi and Putin envision a future of biotechnological immortality, accessible only to those with power and wealth, nations like the Maldives highlight a more urgent reality: the need for basic, competent healthcare and pharmaceuticals for those who cannot afford to import medicine from abroad or travel for treatments.
WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) tracks countries reporting to the WHO's GLASS system to track antimicrobial usage and resistance. (Photo/Our World in Data)
The WHO’s Report on Surveillance of Antibiotic Consumption provides worrying data on antibiotic overconsumption across 65 countries, including some in the WHO South-East Asia Region (SEARO), which includes us, Maldives.
Over-reliance on antibiotics has fueled antimicrobial resistance, a growing global crisis that threatens to render common infections untreatable. 
Meanwhile, immortality is on the table for others.