The developer has said that a minor civ must ideally appear on more than 5 maps, otherwise it will not be worth the investment to make it. So if we want more minor civs, let’s pray that there will be enough new maps.
Asian minor civs should first try to follow the religious-themed tradition, such as Tibetan Buddhist temple, Theravada Buddhist temple, Shinto grand shrine. In regions that cannot be covered by the religions, then tribes or settlements are used as the theme, such as the Ainu in Ezochi (Hokkaido), the Formosans in Formosa (Taiwan), the Yakuts in Siberia, etc.
btw, the Hui settlements should replace the Sufis on the maps near Mongolia because there will be no elephants there. Hui people, as a collective name for Muslims in China, is a good material. Although the name is ethnic, it would actually operate as a religious minor civ.
Here is the list of my past suggestions for new Asian maps and minor civs.