DAMASCUS -- Visiting China's special envoy for Syria Xie Xiaoyan on Thursday underscored the need for a continued fight against terrorist groups in Syria.

At a press briefing in Damascus, Xie stressed that the war on terrorism hasn't ended yet.

"There should be a continuation in fighting terrorism because, despite the progress achieved in fighting terrorism, this process hasn't ended yet," he said.

The Islamic State (IS) group, he said, has been largely defeated, but some of its followers are trying to re-emerge.

"We believe that there should be a complete elimination of all the groups that have been branded as terrorists by the UN," he said.

Xie urged respect for the Syrian sovereignty. "The Chinese side has repeatedly stressed on many occasions the need to respect the Syrian sovereignty and its territorial integrity and to preserve Syria from fragmentation," he said.

The political process in Syria must serve the reconstruction process, he said.