U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington stood firmly with the Philippines, rejecting what he called China’s “destabilising plans” for a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.

“Beijing’s claim that Scarborough Reef is a nature reserve is yet another coercive attempt to push sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbours,” Rubio said in a statement.

Filipino fishermen have voiced concern that Beijing’s plan could further restrict their access to the atoll, which remains closely monitored by Chinese vessels.

Scarborough Shoal falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but has been under Beijing’s control since 2012. China asserts ownership over almost the entire South China Sea – a waterway that carries more than $3 trillion in annual trade – despite competing claims from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Rubio warned that China’s actions continued to erode regional stability, urging Beijing to respect the 2016 ruling by the Arbitral Tribunal which found it had unlawfully blocked Filipino fishermen from their traditional grounds at Scarborough Reef.

On Saturday, the Philippines announced it had carried out joint patrols with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Japan’s navy near islands in Zambales province, around 120 nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal.

China’s state-run Global Times reported on Friday that Manila had conducted a “joint patrol” in the South China Sea with unnamed countries outside the region.

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