India's economic growth will accelerate this year, India's Minister of Commerce and Industry said as he demanded better access to China's markets to help exports. Anand Sharma's call for greater access for Indian goods comes amid a widening trade gap between the countries.

Trade between the two grew rapidly to $50 billion in 2008, making China India's second-largest trading partner, but fell back to $43 billion in 2009 as global trade declined. "We have an imbalance, a gap in trade, which we need to meaningfully address," Sharma told a forum.

Copyright Reuters, 2010