China says it wants to protect coral reefs in the South China Sea but experts are doubtful

China's declaration of a nature reserve in the South China Sea is the latest twist in its years-long push to establish control over the strategically important waters and sea lane.

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The National Forestry and Grassland Administration said last week that the reserve would protect the coral reef ecosystem at Huangyan Island, better known internationally as Scarborough Shoal. But outside experts believe the announcement was driven more by geopolitics than environmental protection.

The outcropping — a triangular chain of reef and rock with a fish-rich lagoon in the middle — is a hotly disputed territory that is also claimed by the Philippines and Taiwan.

Nature reserve builds on China's control

China has effectively controlled Scarborough Shoal since a faceoff with the Philippines in 2012, though Philippine ships still try to approach it to stake the country's claim.

Confrontations have spiked in recent years. In August, two Chinese ships collided while trying to intercept a Philippine ship near the shoal.

Before announcing the reserve, China earlier had declared the waters around the shoal as its territory and then published geographic coordinates defining what are known as the territory's baselines.