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June 27 (Reuters) - Apple is lobbying the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for approval to buy memory chips from Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a Chinese company blacklisted by the Pentagon, the Financial Times reported, citing sources.

The newspaper added, citing unnamed sources, that the iPhone manufacturer had been lobbying the White House for approval in order to alleviate the financial pressures the company was facing due to rising memory chip prices.

Neither the White House, Apple, nor CXMT has yet responded to Reuters' requests for comment sent outside of business hours.

These efforts highlight the dilemma facing major American technology companies, as the rising costs of memory chips clash with the security restrictions imposed by Washington on Chinese chip manufacturers.

A source told the Financial Times that Apple contacted the Commerce Department more than a month ago, as well as other administration officials and allies in Washington.

The Defense Department under former President Joe Biden designated CXMT, China's largest memory chip manufacturer, as a Chinese military company. A joint agency committee last year approved adding this company and others to the Commerce Department's Entity List.

US companies cannot ship goods, software, and technology to companies on the list without a license, which is likely to be refused.

Apple raised prices for its iPads and MacBooks on Thursday, saying it could no longer protect its customers from rising costs for memory chips and storage, which are due to the expansion of data centers in the artificial intelligence sector.