Through the mid-2000s, EVA Air's route network was affected by the political status of Taiwan, which has historically limited access for Taiwanese airlines to Europe and certain Asian countries.Because Taiwanese carriers did not have direct access to China, EVA Air has used Hong Kong and Macau as interline destinations. EVA Air operated regular charter flights to China in 2008. The airline began regularly scheduled, direct cross-strait operations in December 2008, following the restoration of direct travel links.