No it is not a 'code'. Unlike the rest of the world, the word oriental somehow became offfensive here in the United States.
In the rest of the world, the word "oriental" is used for east asians (Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, etc) and "asian" is used for what we refer to as "middle eastern".
The BBC will refer to a korean as "oriental" and to an Iraqi as "asian".
Does the BBC ever call someone “middle eastern” or is that what they’d call “asian”?
Or “W-estern O-riental G-entleman” “WOG”.
In england “asian” usually refers to people from the Subcontinent (India, pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri lanka). Many, but far from all, are Muslims. Middle Easterners might also be called Asians, but in England their numbers are far, far smaller than people coming from India and (old East and West)Pakistan.