Planes, automobiles help South Carolina set another export record in 2018
South Carolina notched its ninth consecutive record for exports in 2018 with $34.6 billion worth of goods sent to foreign countries, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The figure represents a 7.5 percent gain over 2017, even as retaliatory tariffs by China threatened to blunt exports to that country. China is South Carolina’s top trading partner, accounting for 16 percent of the value of all exports last year. That was down from 19 percent in 2017.
“We’ve cultivated a globally connected economy in South Carolina, and last year’s export sales total reflects that,” Bobby Hitt, the state’s commerce secretary, said in a statement.
