Russel Kun is elected president by the parliament. Parliamentary election 9/24 returned all but two of the sitting members. Kun, a parliamentarian since 2013, was elected unopposed.

Pacific Island Forum (Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Tonga and Samoa attending, with Australia and New Zealand sitting in. Other members include Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Niue, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) opens with an address by US Pres Joe Biden, who urges the Federated States of Micronesia to rejoin the group, which boycotted over disagreement with the election of the Cook Islands’ Henry Puna as Secretary General, in contravention of traditional order. Fiji president Frank Bainimarama, attempted to make amends, with little success. Kausea Natano, prime minister of Tuvalu and departing chair of the PIF, points to the climate crisis as the greatest threat to the islands. It is a contentious issue for Australia, which has refused to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050. Biden commits US to net-zero emissions. Japan’s emission of polluted water from the Fukushima plant is also a concern.

Nauru and US sign trade agreement that will provide more investment for Nauru.

President of Palau Tommy Remengesau Jr. announces he will be hosting an in-person summit meeting with the leaders of Kiribati, Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. Nauru's President Lionel Aingimea says the leaders agreed to attend Palau's Independence Day on October 1 as the five Pacific countries remain free of COVID-19.

Lionel Aingimea is elected president by parliament, defeating David Adeang. Aingimea has worked for rights groups but also was a minister in the Waqa government. The Nauruan economy has been bolstered by Australia’s use of the island as a processing center for asylum applicants.

Parliamentary elections. President Baron Waqa loses his seat, making him ineligible to run for president.

Nauru demands that China apologize for the behavior of its senior diplomat at the Pacific Island Forum. The diplomat left the meeting after Nauru President Baron Waqa prevented him from presenting a speech on climate change. China is competing with Taiwan and Australia for influence with Nauru, which is one Taiwan’s last allies. All three countries have pledged billions of dollars of assistance for the island nation.