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.

With economic development, environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are becoming increasingly important for many sectors, including transport. The transport sector is one of the pillars of international trade and the modern world as a whole, and rail transport is a crucial component of this ecosystem.