After talks covering trade, Taiwan and Iran, Chinese President Xi Jinping led U.S. President Donald Trump on a walk through the secluded grounds of Zhongnanhai, the historic walled compound in Beijing that now contains the offices of China’s ruling Communist Party and the State Council.
The former imperial garden lies adjacent to the Forbidden City and just off Tiananmen Square. During the concluding hours of their summit the two leaders strolled among towering trunks and ancient plantings, an encounter recorded by a hot mic that captured portions of their exchange.
As Xi indicated the age of the trees through an interpreter, he said, "Let me tell you, all the trees on this side are over 200 to 300 years old," and then added, "Over there, there are some more than 400 years old." President Trump, hearing the ages, responded with surprise: "They live that long?"
Xi went on to say, "There are also 1,000-year-old trees in other places." When Trump asked whether other foreign leaders had been received inside the compound, Xi replied: "Very rarely. At first, we usually didn’t hold diplomatic events here. Even after we started having some, it’s still extremely rare. For example, Putin has been here."
At one point during the walk, Xi invited Trump to touch a tree Xi identified as 280 years old. Trump touched the trunk and said, "Good. I like it." The recorded moment gave observers an uncommon window into informal interactions between heads of state within a setting normally closed to the public.
The episode follows a previous hot mic incident in September, when a recording captured Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussing organ transplants and the possibility that humans could live to 150. That discussion occurred as the two leaders walked toward Tiananmen Square to view a military parade.
These captured exchanges underline the occasional visibility of private remarks when leaders move through public or semi-public spaces, and they highlight how tightly controlled venues such as Zhongnanhai can nonetheless become settings for unexpectedly candid moments.