WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday did not reverse North Korea-related sanctions on two Chinese shipping companies, a U.S. administration source familiar with the matter said.

The source was responding to queries about a tweet sent by Trump earlier in the day that said he had ordered the withdrawal of sanctions announced by the Treasury Department - a statement that seemed to refer to an announcement made on Thursday of measures against shipping companies accused of helping North Korea evade sanctions over its nuclear weapons program.

The tweet was meant to refer to a decision to not go forward with additional large-scale sanctions on North Korea at this time, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.