ALBAWABA - An open microphone caught an unexpected conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a military parade in Beijing. They talked about progress in biotechnology, organ transplantation, and the possibility of people living to be 150 years old.
Putin and Xi were walking with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, and more than 20 other foreign leaders at a big event celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. China Central Television (CCTV) broadcast the event live and shared it with news organizations around the world, such as CGTN, Reuters, and the Associated Press. The Chinese National Radio and Television Administration says that the coverage got 1.9 billion online views and more than 400 million television viewers around the world.
A live microphone picked up a translator talking about how quickly biotechnology is moving forward and how organ transplants are happening all the time. This made it sound like longer lives and even ideas like biological rejuvenation might soon be possible. Xi Jinping is said to have said that experts think people could live to be 150 years old this century.
Later, in Beijing, Putin told reporters that the subject came up as they were going to the parade. He said that new technologies in medicine and surgery, especially those that replace organs, give us new hope for living longer and being healthier.
CCTV and the Chinese Foreign Ministry have not said anything about the event. After Xi started his official speech, the broadcast cut to wide shots of Tiananmen Square with no sound for a short time. Then it went back to Xi, Putin, and Kim climbing the platform to watch the parade.
