The Italian government has asked China's sovereign wealth fund to buy a "significant" amount of Italian bonds, the Financial Times reported.

Lou Jiwei, chairman of China Investment Corporation (CIC) met with Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti and the country's state-owned bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti last week during his visit to Rome, according to unspecified Italian officials, the FT report said.

Italian government officials also met with the CIC and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), China's foreign exchange reserves regulator, in Beijing two weeks ago, the report said.

The yield on Italian debts has reached record highs recently. The country's 10-year bond auctioned at a yield of 5.57 percent today, marking a five-week high.

China's business press carried the story above on Tuesday.