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By Christophe Uwizeyimana
A Parade, A Secret, A Plan
On September 3, Beijing’s Tiananmen Square was staged for triumph. More than 50,000 spectators watched a Victory Day parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Chinese President Xi Jinping stood shoulder to shoulder with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in what Beijing hoped would showcase a united front of non-Western powers.
Hot Mic Reveals Putin and Xi Discussing Life Extension Through Biotech
But amid the display of hypersonic missiles and synchronized troops, a quiet exchange between Xi and Putin was captured accidentally by state broadcaster CCTV’s microphones and shifted the story.
“Earlier, people rarely lived to 70 years, but these days at 70 you’re still a child,” Xi remarked.
Putin’s translator replied in Chinese: “With the development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted. The longer you live, the younger you become and even achieve immortality.”
“Some predict that in this century humans may live to 150 years old,” Xi added. Kim Jong Un smiled nearby.
Within hours, the clip vanished from Chinese media. Reuters, AP, and other agencies that carried the feed were pressured to delete it. But the hot-mic had already exposed something unsettling: world leaders openly entertaining the idea of immortality through biotechnology.
Biotech Secrets and Competition
While the exchange may seem like a casual aside, it reflects a serious reality: China and Russia are investing heavily in biotechnology as a pillar of national power.
- China has poured state funds into genetic engineering, stem-cell research, regenerative medicine, and artificial intelligence-driven biotech. In 2017, the world was shocked by the case of the Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who announced he had created the first gene-edited babies using CRISPR. He was later jailed, but the case exposed Beijing’s tolerance for risky experiments that push ethical boundaries.
- Russia has emphasized biotechnology for military and strategic purposes. A 2020 government strategy paper described biotech as a “key weapon in national competitiveness,” linking it directly to defense. Russia’s investment in cloning and organ regeneration has been less publicized but has raised alarm among Western analysts.
Together, these powers see biotechnology not only as a path to economic and scientific prestige but also as a tool to reinforce authoritarian resilience.
Why Biotechnology Also Deserves Admiration
To be clear, biotechnology is not inherently sinister. In fact, it is one of the most transformative sciences of our time already saving lives, feeding populations, and addressing global crises.
- Life-Saving Medicines: Insulin, once derived from animal pancreases, is now produced by genetically engineered bacteria. mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were developed in record time, preventing millions of deaths.
- Agricultural Innovation: Drought-resistant maize and vitamin A–enriched “Golden Rice” are combating hunger and malnutrition.
- Environmental Solutions: Engineered bacteria clean up oil spills, while plastic-eating enzymes promise to tackle global waste.
- Fighting Genetic Diseases: CRISPR-based therapies are correcting defective genes. In 2023, the FDA approved the first CRISPR treatment for sickle cell disease.
- Regenerative Medicine: Scientists are developing lab-grown tissues and organs that could one day replace failing hearts, livers, or kidneys.
This is why biotechnology deserves admiration: it represents human ingenuity at its best in extending lifespans, improving food security, and offering hope against some of humanity’s greatest threats.
But admiration must come with caution. In the wrong hands, the same technologies that heal can also harm, especially in regimes with weak ethical oversight.
Organ Transplants and the Shadow of Abuse
The most disturbing aspect of the Xi-Putin exchange lies in the mention of continuous organ transplants. For China, this is not theoretical.
For two decades, human rights groups have accused Beijing of systematic organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience including Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghur Muslims, and political dissidents. In 2019, the China Tribunal, an independent body chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice KC in London, concluded that forced organ harvesting had taken place “on a significant scale” and likely continues.
Reports allege that organs are harvested without consent and sold to wealthy domestic and international recipients, creating a lucrative black market. Beijing has consistently denied these claims, insisting its organ donation system is voluntary.
Putin’s words about endless transplants, then, resonate chillingly in this context. If organ replacement is viewed by leaders as a pathway to longevity or even “immortality” the question becomes: whose bodies pay the price?
The Ethics of Immortality
Longevity science is not inherently sinister. Around the world, biotech firms are exploring ways to extend healthy lifespans from telomere research to AI-driven drug discovery. Some Silicon Valley investors openly fund “anti-aging” projects in hopes of radically expanding human life.
But when such ambitions intersect with authoritarian governance, the ethical stakes change. Unlike democratic systems where public debate and regulation can check abuses, closed regimes may exploit populations in pursuit of scientific gains.
“Immortality in the hands of authoritarian leaders is not just a fantasy,” says Dr. Elaine Porter, a bioethicist at Oxford University. “It risks becoming a state project where science serves power, not humanity. The danger is that life-extending technology becomes a privilege of the ruling elite, secured through coercion and abuse.”
Political Symbolism in Scientific Language
That Xi and Putin chose to discuss biotechnology at a military parade is symbolically telling. The event itself was designed to project strength; missiles, drones, and soldiers. Yet their private dialogue suggested another frontier of power: control over life itself.
In an era where global power is measured not only in weapons but also in technological supremacy, biotechnology offers something nuclear arms cannot: the possibility of extending the life of rulers, prolonging regimes, and even shaping populations at the genetic level.
This makes biotechnology both a scientific opportunity and a geopolitical weapon.
A Window into Authoritarian Priorities
The censorship that followed the hot-mic leak was swift and total. By erasing the clip, Beijing signaled its awareness of the political sensitivity. Talking about immortality and organ harvesting while millions of ordinary citizens struggle with inflation, unemployment, and healthcare shortages risks backlash at home and abroad.
Yet the very fact the conversation occurred suggests that behind the closed doors of summits and parades, biotechnology is being discussed at the highest levels not as a medical frontier for all humanity, but as a strategic asset for the few.
The Questions That Remain
The leaked exchange leaves more questions than answers:
- If Xi and Putin see biotechnology as a pathway to extending human life, who will benefit first; the people or the leaders?
- What safeguards, if any, exist to prevent abuses in organ transplantation in countries where human rights are routinely violated?
- Could biotechnology, like nuclear power, become a new axis of global competition with its own arms race, secrecy, and dangers?
The Victory Day parade in Beijing was meant to remember past victories. But instead, it revealed a future focus on biotechnology. For Xi, Putin, and Kim, the idea of living forever may sound like science. But for the world, the real worry is not death itself, it’s what powerful leaders might do to escape it.
Photo: Putin and Xi Jiping Believe in the Future of Biotechnology [Indian Science Innovators]
