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An open microphone captured Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in Beijing discussing how biotechnology could extend human life up to 150 years.
During the events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in China, the presidents of Russia and the Asian giant engaged in an unusual dialogue in international politics.
“Today you are a child at 70 years old,” Xi commented to Putin. The Russian leader, excited, responded that advancements in organ transplants will allow humanity to achieve “ever greater longevity and even immortality.” Xi concluded with another prediction: “In this century, it will be possible to live up to 150 years,” according to the newspaper El País.
Putin, in power for 25 years and with a reformed Constitution allowing him to govern until 2036, defended himself against subsequent questions by citing the late Silvio Berlusconi: “He spoke actively about this topic in his time.”
For the Russian leader, "modern means of healing and replacement surgeries" justify the hope of extending active life beyond what seems possible today.
The irony does not escape the political context: while Russia is waging war in Ukraine with at least 200,000 Russian casualties - according to independent investigations - its president projects an endless life, surrounded by a circle of septuagenarian collaborators to whom he extends mandates beyond the legal limit.
Echoes in Cuba: Fidel Castro's promise of "living 140 years"
The idea of political leaders dreaming of longevity is not new. In 2011, the former chief of Fidel Castro's medical team, Eugenio Selman-Housein, claimed that the Cuban dictator would live "140 years".
According to Selman-Housein, Cuba had a higher proportion of centenarians than Japan, and advocated for “active longevity” based on six pillars: motivation, healthy diet, physical activity, health, cultural life, and environmental surroundings.
Castro, who stepped down from power in 2006 due to serious health issues, was then presented as a symbol of vital resilience. Although his unsuccessful surgeries left him on the brink of death, he reappeared in public months later, reinforcing the narrative that he could defy biological limits.
The conversation between Putin and Xi revives the imagery of leaders clinging to power and obsessed with eternal life, in a world where biotechnology is advancing, yet wars and social crises continue to define the limits of mortality.
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