The European Union, China and the United States play the largest role in international trade, in terms of supplying products and as markets, and their trade relations largely determine the configuration of cargo flows in the international transport system.

The Eurasian rail container transport industry is evolving in response to a more complex landscape, shaped by heightened international political tensions. The fact that container shipping volumes has been maintained is attributable to higher traffic bound for the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), specifically the traffic from China to Russia and Belarus.