In March 2024, Victor De Decker, a research fellow in Geoeconomics at the Egmont Institute, delivered a lecture to students (age 16-17) at the Art School in Aalst. The lecture focused on geoeconomic competition between the United States, China, and the European Union, with a particular emphasis on the concept of global value chains. Using the example of the design and manufacturing process of an Apple iPhone, Victor De Decker explained how complex value chains connect different countries and regions. Following the lecture, students were tasked with investigating the value chains of everyday consumer goods, exploring how China is integrated into these processes and what the broader consequences of such integration might be.
