Reuters retracts video of Xi and Putin talking about longevity

Reuters has removed from circulation a four-minute video containing a dialogue between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which they discuss the possibility of living to 150 years of age. This is stated in an official statement, Reuters.

The agency removed the video after China's state television demanded its removal and revoked its legal permission to use it.

The video itself, which included an exchange of remarks about the possibility of living to 150 years between Putin and Xi during a military parade in Beijing dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, was licensed by China Central Television (CCTV).

Reuters edited the footage into a four-minute video and distributed it to more than 1,000 clients around the world, including major international news broadcasters and TV channels. Other news agencies licensed by CCTV also distributed the footage.

On Friday, Reuters removed the video from its website and issued a takedown order to its clients after receiving a written request from CCTV's lawyer. The letter stated that the agency had violated the terms of the use agreement. The letter also criticized Reuters' "editorial treatment of the material," but did not elaborate .

The agency said it withdrew the video because it no longer had legal permission to publish the copyrighted material.

"The editorial processing of this material has led to a clear distortion of the facts and statements contained in the licensed material," the legal director of CCTV news agency wrote in a letter to Reuters.

"We guarantee the accuracy of the information we publish. We have carefully reviewed the published materials and have found no reason to believe that Reuters' long-standing commitment to accurate and impartial journalism has been violated," the response reads.

As reported by Bloomberg, the audio recording of the longevity dialog lasted less than a minute, was interrupted in some places, and captured only fragments of the conversation. As follows from the publications, the conversation touched on the growth of life expectancy.

"People used to rarely live to be 70. Now at 70, you're still a child," Xi is alleged to have said.

Putin (his words are translated into Chinese in the video) replied: "With the help of biotechnology, organs can be replaced endlessly... the longer people live, the younger they will become, and people will be able to achieve even immortality".

The Chinese leader confirmed: "Some predict that in this century people will be able to live up to 150 years".

• on September 3, Russia's dictator, his North Korean "counterpart" Kim Jong Un and China's leader met publicly for the first time at a military parade in Beijing.
• Pentagon chief says that due to the rapprochement between Russia and China, Trump ordered the department to "revive" the US armed forces and "be ready".