I know HN is nitpicky, but whether you like it or not, "asian" refers to "east asian" in terms of US pop-culture racial discourse. It may not be right but it's the way it is.
It is appalling that the commenter above had to edit their own comment based on these responses.
Because people get browner the further southwest in Asia you go, a distinction is made.
Though its most fascinating that in America only recent immigrants would be referred to as European-American, if not their by their specific ethnicity, even though the majority of the country is European-descent; they're called "white" instead. "White" is a racial caste designation, European indicates a person descends from the people in a specific place on Earth; "white" is not a place on Earth.
And yet everyone who is not white gets referred to by where they're ancestors are from