According to TASS with reference to Financial Times,  pressure on transit times at sea and container shortages have made land exports over Russia and Central Asia an attractive alternative for Chinese business. 

According to the publication, more than 2,000 freight trains ran from China to Europe in the first two months of this year, double the rate a year earlier. Over the whole of 2020, the total number of train journeys from the PRC to Europe rose 50 per cent, and is up sevenfold since 2016 according to official data reported in state media.

According to the newspaper, due to lockdown, electronic products and household appliances from China are in high and urgent demand in many countries. Chinese manufacturers choose land transportation over Russia and Central Asia to bypass shipping delays.

In recent years, Central Asian states have significantly invested in the development of their transport systems. In particular, Turkmenistan has invested heavily in the expansion and modernization of the rail and road network, as well as the port infrastructure in the Caspian Sea.