THE planned deployment of UN peacekeepers in Mali next month is likely to include a large contingent from China. In recent years—having once eschewed such missions—China has become a frequent contributor of blue-helmet troops. But it has shied away from sending combat forces, preferring to focus on support roles. Its involvement in Mali could mark a bolder approach.

Reports have suggested that China could dispatch between 500 and 600 soldiers to Mali. This would be one of the country’s biggest UN deployments since it began joining peacekeeping operations in the early 1990s (it had previously regarded them as interfering in other countries’ affairs). With nearly 1,900 troops deployed as of December 2012, China’s contribution is relatively small compared with those of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. But it is the largest among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

According to a UN official quoted by Agence France-Presse, at least 155 of China’s troops in Mali are expected to be engineers. This would be in line with China’s normal practice: most of its peacekeepers are engineers, medical workers and transport staff. Diplomats believe, though, that some of those sent to Mali might be combat troops.

China has long been reluctant to send combat forces on UN missions. It still worries about being seen as interfering. It also has doubts about its troops’ capabilities. Its army dipped a tentative toe into such operations in January last year, when it sent a platoon of infantry to guard Chinese engineers and doctors belonging to a peacekeeping force in South Sudan.

In Mali, where the peacekeepers are to help contain an Islamic insurgency in the north, China might well be tempted to do the same. The Security Council, which unanimously approved a force of 12,600 peacekeepers for Mali in April, is due to decide later this month whether security conditions are right for the deployment. It could be a dangerous mission.

China has a keen interest in being seen to help Africa, but it will continue to tread carefully. The country also has a keen interest in projecting the country’s military rise as benign. Rifle-toting Chinese troops might help in restoring stability to conflict zones, but images of them might trouble the West.