The aging autocrats walked side by side, leading a procession of foreign leaders to watch a military parade in Beijing. Then, in a surprisingly candid moment, a hot mic caught President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussing methods for prolonging human life. “Human organs can be continuously transplanted,” Putin’s translator was heard saying. “The longer you live, the younger you become, and [you can] even achieve immortality.” For the Russian president, the topic of mortality drives to the heart of perhaps the greatest vulnerability of the autocratic system he has constructed: When he is no longer in power, will it all fall apart?
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