Overview

• Chinese state television picked up a pre-parade conversation in Beijing where Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin spoke about biotechnology, organ transplants and extended lifespans.
• Walking on the red carpet at Tiananmen Square alongside North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Xi said forecasts suggest people could live to 150 years within this century.
• Putin replied that advances could allow continual organ replacements, making people younger and possibly immortal, according to the on-air interpreter.
• The live transmission was cut shortly after the exchange was broadcast during the event marking 80 years since Japan’s WWII surrender.
• At a subsequent press conference, Putin confirmed the remarks, said modern medicine offers hope for longer active lives, and cautioned that such treatments may not be widely available and could pose demographic challenges.