• The New Silk Road provides a land bridge linking East Asia and Europe.  

• The benefits for Central Asia of being merely a goods conduit will be limited. 

• Participation in global value chains (GVCs) has helped to speed industrialization in Southeast Asia and other subregions. 

• National economic strategy in Central Asia can include efforts to attract investments in GVCs.

• For greater GVC investment, policy makers can improve trade facilitation, create a supportive business environment, develop small and medium-sized enterprises, and skill the workforce.