The correct answer to this open question is the following.
You did not include any reference or context to know the episode, the moment in history, the place, or the date of what you are asking.
However, doing some research, we found a similar topic about how tea is traded or sold in auctions in Sri Lanka.
If that is the case, then we can comment on the following.
China's businessmen and dealers were going to buy the Tea once it was sold at auction for a huge profit.
The auctions are held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and vendors sell approximately 7 million kilograms of tea per week. The business of Tea is the primary economic activity and the one that employs most people in Sri Lanka. Some statistics affirm that the Tea industry creates 1 million jobs in the country.