Miners Anglo American , Antofagasta and Glencore, and financial services companies Standard Chartered and Prudential all rose 3-5%.
Stephane Ekolo, global equity strategist at TFS Derivatives, said the news was "absolutely" driving price action in European assets.
"When China sneezes, the world catches a cold, so a new potential stimulus is seen as a positive catalyst," Ekolo said.
(Reporting by Alun John; Editing by Amanda Cooper)