The story
Since the price of tea in China was an important topic in England during and around the 19th century and it was s often mentioned in the British House of Commons.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
price of tea in China
Today it means: Something that is relevant or important, usually used to emphasize that another, compared thing is irrelevant, unimportant, or non sequitur, or that someone unaware of it is ignorant, etc. Full definition →