Yes, they are fighting over oil and fishing territory.
But for the future I think the more pressing need would be fresh water rather than oil.
I don't think we're quite there yet. But I wouldn't be surprised if in 20 years wars over clean water become at least as common as wars over oil if not more so.
"It's said that Fremen drink the blood of their dead. Isn't that so, Dr. Kynes?"
"Not the blood, sir. All of a man's water. A necessity when one lives in the deep desert. The human body is sixty percent water. Surely a dead man no longer requires it."
.....The spice controls the universe. He who controls Dune, controls the spice.
If I recall correctly Frank Herbert said that both water and oil were inspirations for "the spice" melange. The mind enhancing drug which is essential to space navigation, and to which billions are hopelessly addicted.* Political strife and ecology are central to Dune. Religion, war and culture in general are merely outgrowths from the interplay between the two. So it's a fair comparison.
*One of the major ironies is that on the planet Arrakis (aka "Dune") water is highly prized while the much more rare spice is everywhere, with the Fremen wanting to turn the planet into a green paradise. But the only thing that makes Arrakis worth a damn is the spice, produced by "the makers" (sandworms) and water
kills the makers.
Japan and China well this goes back way back... Like when the mongols came and tried to take over Japan way back in the year 1000 something from what I hear. These countries have and will never get along but from what I understand the thing that China does not like is more so the events like the rape in nanking right? Sorry for misspelling but I recall something like this in world history back in HS and political science 2.
Yeah it's a very old rivalry even though a lot of Japanese culture (like Buddhism and at least one of their alphabets iirc) were direct imports from China. But since WW2 is still within living memory that's the biggest thing right now.