BEIJING - China will stay in communication and coordination with the European Union to ensure a bilateral investment deal comes into effect, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

The European Commission said on Wednesday it had dialled down efforts to promote the planned investment agreement, recognising that EU lawmakers will not approve any such deal while Beijing maintains sanctions on five of their colleagues.

(Reporting by David Kirton; editing by John Stonestreet) ((gao.liangping@thomsonreuters.com;))