European stocks surge amid rising hopes of US-Iran peace deal

European stock markets rallied strongly on Wednesday, with all three major indices closing higher amid rising hopes of a U.S.-Iran deal on ending the war.

The benchmark FTSE 100 Index in London rose 2.15 percent to close at 10,438.66 points. In Paris, the CAC 40 Index climbed 2.94 percent to finish at 8,299.42 points. Frankfurt's DAX Index advanced 2.12 percent to end the session at 24,918.69 points.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov arrived in Beijing on Wednesday night for a two-day visit to China.

Aripov will co-chair the eighth session of the China-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee with Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong.

China has remained Uzbekistan's largest trading partner for several consecutive years. Data released by Chinese Customs shows that in the first quarter of 2026 alone, bilateral trade turnover rose by more than 35 percent year on year to over 4.1 billion U.S. dollars.

In recent years, cooperation between the two countries has shown full-scale expansion and vigorous development, in fields including new energy, smart agriculture, green minerals, high technologies, and public health.

One flagship cooperative project is the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, designed to boost trade and economic ties across Central Asia, creating a diverse framework of connectivity.

Meanwhile, the two sides have also enhanced law enforcement and security cooperation, and further strengthened coordination on international and regional affairs within the frameworks of China-Central Asia mechanism as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.